


Rip Tide!

by Anon4Us



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Free! Kink Meme, Friendship, Gen, Haruka moves away before middle school, Makoto follows Rin to Samezuka, Melodrama, Samezuka Makoto, Teenage Drama, Using Kaede's character design
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2014-03-29
Packaged: 2018-01-05 11:32:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1093400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anon4Us/pseuds/Anon4Us
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you are young, sometimes the world isn't fair when adults and other make choices that turn your life upside down, destroying dreams. It is like fighting a rip tide as they are pulled away from the shore and further into the ocean. If you fight against it, you will only tired out and drown in the end.</p><p>Sometimes it is best to save yourself to only float along with it.</p><p>In which Rin was wait listed for the school in Australia  and Haruka move away before middle school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Falling in Reverse!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Haru tells Makoto and Rin that he is moving

 

______________________________________

_**Rip Tide! ~ Prologue**_

_**Falling in Reverse!** _

______________________________________

 

There are countless universes out there, with infinite possibilities within each and every one of them. There are chances that there are universes that are quite similar to each other and others that are far between with their differences. There could be universes where it could just be a change in someone deciding between soup or salad to a universe filled with lizard humanoids that ruled that. It takes only one event, an event that can take a single choice that can change the outcome of people’s lives.

 In one universe, there was a young boy named Matsuoka Rin who had left his friends and family to go to school in Australia so in the future he could be an Olympic swimmer. He would come back one holiday only to run into his old swimming team mate/rival Nanase Haruka. They would swim in a race at their old swim club. Rin would lose that race and gained nothing but a new determination to defeat Haruka. The other boy though gave up his passion because of the guilt he had when he cause Rin to cry at his lost. They wouldn’t meet each other until they started their 2nd year of high school.

 In another universe though, Haruka’s father had gotten a job transfer instead before he could enter middle school.

It was the three of them, Haruka, Rin and their fellow classmate and swimmer, Tachibana Makoto in front of their graduation project of a flower bed with the sakura tree. It was surrounded by the bricks with their final thoughts and wishes for the future written on them. That was the start of the conversation as Makoto and Rin happily discussed about the upcoming graduation for them. Rin talked about how he was going to his old school for his graduation since he only been at their school for a couple months, but he still was an Iwatobi boy and that he would come back to watch them all graduated. It was a sign of their friendship and their team work. While they talked, their words ate at Haruka’s stomach as he felt Makoto’s eyes on him soon enough.

“”Haru-chan-“

“Lay off the chan.”

“How come you weren’t here yesterday for the assembly? They were talking all the important stuff for next year,” said Makoto, not affected by his best friend’s words as he went on to talk about the uniform and classes they would have.

He didn’t deserve the title.

“I’m not going here.”

The three of them stood there in silence. Haru could feel Makoto’s eyes on him as he wondered why he didn’t bring this up sooner. How could he? He only found out the day before and that is why he didn’t bother going to school to that assembly. Why get information on a school he wasn’t even going too.

“What…?” asked Makoto, the emotion steep into his voice and no more words really could break free of his voice.

“My dad was transferred,” said Haruka as if that explained everything. It should have, but he knew that he had a lot more to answer for. Like why he didn’t say something sooner. Why did he have to wait until now to speak up and say he was leaving? He didn’t really need to share anything to Rin, he only knew the other boy for two months and all he seem to be obsessed with the relay race. He never even explained why he came to their school so late into the year.

But Mako…he deserve the truth.

“Ar-Are you moving far?” asked Makoto.

“Tokyo.”

Yeah, it was far. It wasn’t like Haruka was to move to the next town over. Tokyo was so far away from Iwatobi. He should have known it was going to happen. His father was on business trips all the time. At first, it was only for a few days, but then they became longer and longer weeks to months at a time. Soon, his mother came along on his business trips. Haruka didn’t notice them gone all the time since he had his grandmother and that was fine with him.

At least, he was until dinner the other night. It seemed normal enough as he sat down to eat, though he wasn’t normally aware of people or things around him like other people. Even he could tell there was something wrong with the looks shared between his parents and grandmother. Tension was indeed in the air. Questions didn’t need to be asked why, his father came out and said that they were moving to Tokyo once he finished school.

That is when grandmother had step in and demand that it a senseless move, to take move away just before Haruka started middle school, away from all his friends and even before the swimming competition he had been working so hard for. His parents team up and brought up the fact he had felled into the river and could have died. That it wasn't safe here. That was stupid; he wouldn’t have drowned in the river. Water was as part of him and how can you be killed by something that was a part of yourself.

They continue to fight while he ate his supper in silence. They kept on shouting how going to Toyko he would be given a better education than here in Iwatobi, allow the best things in life while his grandmother tried hard to point how the small town charm and warmth was better for such a quiet boy than the loud and busy city. By the time dinner was over, Haru said few words and nods, his parents won the fight as his grandmother knew she couldn’t change their mind. The only support and comfort she could give her only grandson was come with them, to leave her family home for Tokyo. Her love for Haru was stronger than any attachment to material belongings she had.

That left him to tell Makoto that he wouldn’t be here anymore.

“Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Makoto. He looked as if he was about to burst into tears but Haruka couldn’t help but notice how Rin hadn’t said anything yet himself.

“Was only just told,” said Haruka.

“Wh-When are you leaving?”

“After the tournament.”

“But…That is barely enough time,” said Makoto.

He didn’t want to deal with this anymore. Haruka felt as if his chest hurt as if it was going to burst open even though he didn’t show it. To have this attention on him, to see Makoto about to cry and Rin wasn’t saying anything at all. For once, he wanted to go and disappear into the nearest body of water. He wanted to run and dive into the pool, or the ocean or even the bathtub now. To be surrounded by water, he would forget the pain, the fact he was leaving his life here. That everything he knew would be over. Did they even have pools or oceans like Iwatobi? He bet he couldn’t swim in the ocean in Tokyo.

He didn’t want to think about or deal with these feelings anymore.

“Well, that only means one thing.”

Rin finally decided to speak up now. He was all smiles with teeth as if everything was going to be the same that nothing had changed at all.

“You have to swim in the relay, it will be our last time to swim together.”

It was the last time for anything. It might be the last time he could swim, before he would be force away from the only home he knew and from the only people that understood him.

What could he say...?

"I only swim free."


	2. Inlet into a Deeper Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Makoto lives his first year apart from Haru and becomes better friends with Rin.

 

 

  
**______________________________________**

** _Rip Tide! ~ Chapter 01_ **

**_Inlet into a Deeper Friendship_ **  
**______________________________________**

  
**April**  
  
When school started up again, he’d felt sorry for himself.  
  
If Rin had his way, he would be anywhere else but Iwatobi Middle School right now, on his way to be an Olympic swimmer. He applied everywhere that he could, all over the world. He wanted to swim more so than anything in the world. If he went to the right school, than he would be one step closer to his dream to swim at the Olympics. He would make his dad proud when he got that gold medal around his neck.  
  
What burned him up was that he did get into one school, in Australia, but was put on the waitlist. He had hoped, hoped harder than anything before in his left that he would get in. He was so sure he would be accepted into the program. The exam was a cake walk and he would like to know anyone else who was a better swimmer than him with his times? He could do anything, even the butterfly with ease and speed.   
  
That was part of the plan when he transferred to Iwatobi. It was only a stop to his way onward to the Olympics. But his acceptance letter never came. He never got past the wait list.

It hurt, it crushed Rin. How can he get to the Olympics if he couldn’t get into some stupid swimming school?  
  
But he could still swim; he could still train and get better every day. Maybe one day, he would be as fast as Haruka and-  
  
Well, kind of hard to see how the one person he could push again, the one person he considered a rival was gone at the start of the new school year. His family moved away at the end of their last year of elementary school. When they had met, Rin only saw Haruka as someone he could compare himself. If he could beat this boy that seemed to live in the water, it was one more hurdle he would have gotten over on his way.  
  
Haruka was gone now, he didn’t get into the school and Rin didn’t know what to do next.  
  
So, he got the middle school uniform and did his runs to school like he did every day once classes started. It was a perfect way to develop his endurance and kept his body in shape. He would keep up his training plan, he would keep at it. Rin would figure something out once he knew what he could do to make sure he would be in the Olympics. Maybe he would run into Haru again one day and then they would race once more.  
  
The one bright side in all of this was that Iwatobi Middle School had a swimming club.  
  
After the opening ceremony and the oncoming week, Rin spotted the posters that advertise for it alongside with the other clubs within school. On the first day, he was there with the biggest smile on his face and swimsuit in hand. It wasn’t the biggest club, but there were enough people for him to swim with. He was only happy that he would have more time in the water and could still race. Swimming wasn’t as popular like track or basketball, so there was the chance that a school wouldn’t have a swimming club. Even one that was close to ocean. There were some familiar faces, a few from the Iwatobi Swim Club that started their own first year of middle school and a few of the older students.   
  
But...there was one face he didn’t see.  
  
On the first day of swim club, Rin notice that Makoto hadn’t shown up. It made him confuse as why he wouldn’t be here, didn’t he want to join the swim club.   
  
They happened to be in the same class again this year and Rin saw him every day. 

It wasn’t for a lack of trying. Rin sat next to Makoto in class, tried to talk to him before and after classes, even in between breaks and lunches. The amount of times he invited him over to his house and to have lunch with him, he didn’t have enough fingers to keep track. The once bright and cheerful boy with a smile on his face was nothing more than a shadow. He kept to himself, his face down and quiet. If Rin didn’t see it with his own eyes, he would swore it wasn’t possible.

Not that they were close. He hadn’t seen the olive hair boy since the relay when they buried the trophy. The only time they ever really talked was if Haruka was around and Rin wanted to convince the other boy to swim in the relay.

And the only time they did talk without Haru was on the bus after the river. It was a conversation base on appearances and Rin knew it. Makoto hidden himself behind a smile and he had left it at that. Some friend he was.

But Rin attempted to be a true friend with him now. He was the only familiar, really familiar, friendly face and Rin didn’t want to lose that last bit of warm and comfort. But Makoto wasn’t making it simple and really it would have been easier to make other friends. He could make friends easily, but when had he done anything the easy way. He was able to convince Haru to swim in a relay; surely he could bring Makoto back to reality.  
  
  
A week later and Makoto still hadn’t shown up for swim club, Rin decided to do something about it.

 

* * *

  
  
“Why hadn’t you come to swim club?”  
  
Makoto looked up to the front entrance to school to see a not happy Rin in front of him. The redhead stood there in uniform, his jacket open and his arms crossed over his chest. He looked like he was serious but Makoto nervously thought the other boy looked more angry than that.  
  
He hadn’t really talked to Rin nor anyone else since school had started. He talked when spoken to, but mostly spent his time by himself. It wasn’t healthy he knew, he should be out there and tried to make new friends.  
  
But he didn’t want to make new friends…  
  
Haruka only been gone for a month at least and Makoto still felt the pain from it. He knew that it couldn’t be help, which Haru couldn’t stay here and his parents go off to Tokyo or wherever his dad needed to go for work. It was that he missed Haru, that he was the only person that never really pushed him away. Some kids thought he was a cry baby, that he was a pest. Haruka never cared when he would point out if he had something on his face or didn’t needed to explained why he sat on the beach instead of swim. But it was because of Haru that he even swam, that he could swim into the ocean as long as Haru was near him.   
  
Now, Haruka hadn’t even called or respond to any of the letters Makoto sent since he moved away. Didn’t their friendship mean anything to him? Did Haru think that since he moved he could be rid of clingy Makoto? Those thoughts went through his mind and fought with the part of that tried to assure him that Haruka did care, that he was his best friend no matter what. Maybe he hadn’t gotten his letters? Maybe he wrote down the wrong address? It could be anything.  
  
But he couldn’t sit home and wait for answers, life went on and he had to move along with it.  
  
So, when Rin popped in front of him and wonder why he wasn’t in the swim club, he didn’t know how to respond.  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Swim club, why aren’t you in it? It started like two weeks ago and you hadn’t shown up to a single meeting,” demand Rin.  
  
“Well, I had a lot of school work and-”  
  
“Makoto, we are in the same class. We have the same workload.”  
  
“I got to get home and look after my little siblings when they come home and-”  
  
“Your mother stays home.”  
  
Why did Rin have a good counter for everything Makoto could think of? He stood there, clutched tight to his school bag and struggled to think of an excuse. Something Rin could believe that would get him off the hook. But everything he could think of, he knew Rin wouldn’t believe, that he would push and push. This was the one kid that never gave up on his mission to make Haru swim with him in the relay, to swim with them. Not many people could do that. They got tired of Haruka’s indifference and left him alone. Makoto was the only one that stuck around and continued to stay by his best friend’s side.  
  
“Why do you care if I join” asked Makoto.  
  
Rin scoffed as he waved his hand around, “We got to stick together. We have to show those guys what is what,” he said before his shark grin splash on his face, “We are the winning relay team and as two of the four members here, we got to put up a front. Some of their members aren’t half the swimmer as us. They need all the help they can get. Beside, it will be fun to swim you again. It only sucks that Nagisa and Haruka-”  
  
It was a comfort to listen Rin talk again. Makoto forgotten he like the sound of the other’s voice. How it was filled up with passion and energy. Different energy than like Nagisa, one filled with purpose and willpower. There was nothing Rin wouldn’t do to make his dream to be an Olympic swimmer become true. A small smile appeared over his face as Makoto remembered the relay, how it felt to put himself on the line not for himself, but for the team. To swim for Nagisa, Rin and...Haruka. 

The smile dropped.  
  
“...It isn’t the same…”  
  
“Huh? I didn’t hear that,” said Rin, not surprise that Makoto cut off his little speech of all the good times they shared.  
  
“It isn’t the same,” said Makoto, a bit louder and felt hot tears form in his eyes.  
  
“Not the same?” asked Rin.  
  
“Yes,” declared Makoto, “It isn’t the same without Haru around. Nothing is the same anymore. I don’t have anyone to walk home with. No one to talk or play with. Haru is the only one that made swimming fun and I didn’t have to be scared and-”  
  
Makoto couldn’t help but to cry now. It was stupid, and he was weak to let it get to him so. Now it was true he was some weak little cry baby that didn’t really have any friends and was like his girly name. He only felt his tears that he almost failed to notice when Rin grabbed ahold of his arm.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.”  
  
With that order, Makoto was dragged along by Rin out of the school yard. He didn’t know where the other wanted to take him and Makoto didn’t have enough sense to stop and ask why. He didn’t even protest the way he was being handled as they continued to walk along the side walk in silence. It wasn’t until the path became familiar that Makoto was able to figure out where actually they were going. They kept on walking until Rin stop them both in front of the sakura tree.  
  
The flowers were all in bloom now and really did look nice as they surrounded the tree. It gave some needed color to the area when the trees weren’t in bloom. Rin still hadn’t said anything or why he dragged Makoto all the way back to their elementary school for whatever reason.   
  
“When I came here, I didn’t think I would be staying for long,” said Rin to break the silence, “There is nothing more that I want than to be an Olympic swimmer. I was on this waitlist for this school in Australia where I learn to be a better swimmer.”  
  
Makoto felt his breathing hitch a bit at the news. They wondered why Rin had transferred to their school, their swim club so late in the school year. He never said why and they never really asked as he would have told them sooner or later. At least, Makoto thought so since he didn’t want to be noisy and asked.  
  
“But you’re here…”  
  
Rin chuckled, “Yeah, I never got off the waitlist, but that doesn’t mean I am going to stop from a setback. It’s cause I want to be a great swimmer. I’m going to be for my Pops.”  
  
“Your…?”  
  
Never had Rin talked about his father before. He knew Rin had a sister, met her once and there was his mother and grandmother, but never about his father.  
  
“Yeah, he was there when the swim club first open, he was part of the group that won the medley relay championship for the first time. You can see the photo with him holding the trophy, laughing.” said Rin.  
  
He nodded his head at the memory. Everyone knew about the giant wall with all these pictures of the teams that won the relay in the past. From the first year to the year they had won only last month. He was so proud to see him, Haruka, Rin and Nagisa there with all smiles. Not Haru, but Makoto knew did down he was proud they won in the end.  
  
“Pops was this gifted swimmer, just like Haru, at least that is what Ma said,” said Rin as he continued his story, “He wanted to go to the Olympics but...he got married, had me and became a fisherman.”  
  
There was this pause as Rin hesitated to continue his story. Makoto didn’t know why, but he could feel his breathing a bit heavy as this feeling had come over him. As if he had an idea where this story was going to.  
  
“He…died in this giant storm. His ship sank not no more than 3 km from shore-”  
  
He tried to make a noise, something, but Makoto couldn’t as he stood there with his mouth opened, his face with pure shock.   
  
He wanted Haru, he wanted to take a hold of Haru and never let go. To have that bit security, to know that everything was ok. But Haruka wasn’t there and his hands clenched his book bag strap until his knuckles turned white. Rin had this somber expression on his face, but he had this look that he knew something.

“I know you were there, on the day of the funeral…”  
  
“You do?”  
  
“Yeah.”

“How? I mean…”  
  
“Back at the river, when you held the edge of Haru’s clothing. You did it back then too as we walked by.”  
  
He didn’t recall if he saw Rin or his sister on that day. All Makoto remembered was all those people that wore white, walked along the shore in remembrance of those that died, those that the ocean took away. It was something that was in his nightmares and Makoto doubt that he would forget it. But...if Rin’s father died in that storm why…  
  
“That is why I am going to be an Olympic swimmer,” said Rin, a smile back on his face though even Makoto saw there was sadness within it, “I came here to speak with Pops before I left, that we won the same race and I could be the swimmer that he could had been.”  
  
“But, you didn’t go to Australia. How-” asked Makoto, but Rin stop him.  
  
“It’s only a step back. It doesn’t mean I won’t get there. That is why I join the swim club. I’m going to keep getting better and one day you will see me on TV with a medal.”  
  
“But I want to swim with you too.”  
  
“Huh?” asked Makoto. He was confused as why Rin wanted to swim with him? He didn’t need him around to live his dream. Why?  
  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys earlier. When I found out I wasn’t going, I didn’t see the point in sharing it. But...I should had cause we were a team, the bests team that ever won the relay. Even my pops’ team couldn’t stand against the likes of us.” said Rin, his smile started to become wider and more like how Makoto knew it, “I know Haru isn’t around and Nagisa at a different school, but I still want to swim with you.”  
  
“I seen you swim. I know you only swim with Haru and just because he isn’t around doesn’t mean you should stop. You can swim with me. You fight back in your strokes, wild and free! You slice through the water like an animal. It is like there this difference side of you in the water. I want to swim with you cause of that.”  
  
To hear the words said, Makoto felt better. Better than he had been for a while now.   
  
Maybe...Maybe Rin had the right idea. They were a team still, though only two members, but in his heart, they were a team.  
  
Maybe they could be again if Haruka came back. He would have to ask in his next letter.

\-----------------------------------

_Hi Haru!  
  
I joined the swim club here at school with Rin..._

**May**  
  
“It’s too soon for exams!”  
  
Makoto laughed as they gathered around the table at his home. He knew Rin was more upset with the fact they cancelled swim club meetings for the week so they could focus more on their school work. Deep down, they knew it was the right thing, but Rin said he needed to swim to keep up with his time. Makoto was only happy to swim along with his friend again.  
  
It wasn’t the same as swimming with Haruka, but he still felt warm and not so scared still. The other members of the club were nice and really helped him with his backstroke. In the long run, he was thankful that Rin talked him to join.  
  
“Rin, we need to focus. You might be smart, but you still need to study,” said Makoto, “Beside you promise you would help me with English.”  
  
“Fine, but you better save me some of those daifuku your mom made to talk home.”

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Hi Haru,  
  
We had exams last week and they are nothing like I thought they would be. I bet you struggled with yours as well. Thankfully Rin helped me out and I was able to pass them all with good marks..._  
  
 **June**  
  
It was time for the pool season to start. Rin was almost unbearable as he was excited to use the outside pool now that the weather was warm enough. The school’s swim club was able to use the Iwatobi Swim Club to practice. But it wasn’t the same Rin claimed as there was something great to swim outside in the pool, to look right up at the sky. Makoto commented that he only wanted the chance to swim in cherry blossoms. That earned him a punch in the shoulder.  
  
With the pools about to open, the Swim Club was going to perform an exhibition to show off their best skills, the promise of all trophies and medals that they would bring home over the upcoming year. Even though they were in their first year, both Rin and Makoto were going to take part in a couple races; the only first years to do so. The news of it was enough for Rin to jump for joy and trained even harder for the exhibition.  
  
Makoto on the other hand was nothing but nerves. Come the day, Makoto felt as if he was going to be sick. He had to sit on the bench by the pool, his head between his knees and tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down.  
  
“Makoto, you ok?”  
  
“Yeah, no worries Rin,” said Makoto, waved his hand as he looked up. He didn’t want to make Rin worry, he wanted the redhead to focus on his own race and not to worry about him, “I just need to stretch out a bit.”  
  
“Ok...but you gotta remember to only do your best,” said Rin, “Don’t worry about winning, have fun. I’ll be there and cheer for you all the way.”  
  
Makoto nodded his head and smiled as he leaned down again.

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Hi Haru,  
  
Happy Birthday! I hope you had a great birthday. Bet you spend most of it in the pool now that it is open everywhere.  
  
We opened the pool for physical classes today. Our swim club did this exhibition in front of the whole school and I was so nervous. Rin wasn’t at all as he acted as it wasn’t a big deal. I wish I could have his confidence. I swam in the 100m backstroke and came in third, but it was my best time. But Rin won his! He even beat the third years. I screamed so loud as he won. You would have been so amaze how he swam. But I bet you would had done just as well in the free style too…_  
  
 **July**  
  
He poked what was consider supper tonight during the camping trip the school had set up. It looked discolor and he pretty much could smell the burnt rice. Rin didn’t know if he wanted to try it or not. Makoto didn’t seem to mind so much as he happily ate the rice and curry dish.  
  
“Come on Rin, it ain’t that bad,” said Makoto with a smile on his face.  
  
“There are pieces of black rice in here…”  
  
“The curry hides most of the taste.”  
  
“I’m going to die of food poisoning.”  
  
“You aren’t going to die.”  
  
“Seriously, this is some kind of torture.”  
  
“Rin, you are being dramatic.”  
  
“When I die, avenge me.”  
  
Makoto only laugh as he continued to eat the meal the class had made. Of course, he had to make a face when he chewed a bit with something burn. Rin saw the face and burst out in laughter.

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Hey Haru,  
  
We had overnight school camping trip into the woods. It was so much fun with the hiking and all these super tall trees. Rin didn’t enjoy it causes he couldn’t swim for four days. I bet you two would have been misery together because of that. He wished that we could have camped on the beach instead. Not me…_  
  
 **August**  
  
“Makoto! You’ve gotten so tall!”  
  
Makoto smiled when his grandpa scooped him up in his arms and tighten a hug around him. Grandma hugged Ren and Ran, who tried to wiggle their way out to avoid her kisses. Makoto already gotten his and was happy to make Grandma smile. They didn’t see each other enough and Bon Holidays were always a good chance to visit them.  
  
“You got to let Makoto breath,” laughed Makoto’s father as he brought the rest of their bags inside the house.  
  
“The boy is fine,” said Grandpa, gave Makoto a slap on the back, “So, I heard you joined the swim club at school. Having fun?”  
  
“Yes! We hadn’t had a meet yet but we should in a couple months. Rin and I had been training really hard, swimming together alot,” said Makoto.  
  
“Rin? I thought you joined with Haruka?” said Grandma, “Isn’t he in the swim club as well?”  
  
At the mention of Haruka’s name, Makoto bit his lip and shook his head, “No...Haru moved.”  
  
“His father got a transfer before the new school year,” explain his father, “Makoto, why don’t you take your siblings into the guest room.”  
  
“Ok Otosan,” said Makoto as he took a hold of the twins, who happily grabbed his arms as they walked off into the house.

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Hello Haru,  
  
Had a great time at my grandparents. Ojiisan shown me how to whittle this time since he said I was oldest enough now that I started middle school. I nicked myself though, but he said it happens to everyone. Obaasan had us all on a cleaning spree thought out the house. I never thought I would be so sore from cleaning…_

 **September**  
  
Rin stood next to his mother and sister as they finished cleaning Pops’ gravestone. It alway looked good to him, but it seemed to have this extra shine to it as they wiped it down along with everyone else that was here at the cliff side. It made him feel a bit proud and only hoped that his father was the same way with him.  
  
“Gou, Rin, you can place your gifts now,” said his mother. as she opened a box of incense.  
  
Gou happily went up and laid a large bundle of flowers she had collected all her self, mostly wild flowers. Their mother said they could had bought flowers but Gou said she wanted to get Pops something herself. Her spirit to bring something of her own caught on with Rin as he asked his grandmother how to make ohagi. It wasn’t perfect in the end, but he had made them himself and he was proud as he placed them next to Gou’s flowers.  
  
Ma took a few incense sticks, she placed them into a holder and lighten them. She set it next to the grave marker before she kneeled in front of it. Rin and Gou joined her on either side to join in a prayer. Folded his hands together, Rin closed his eyes and started to pray.  
  
 _“Please Pops...help me grow stronger as a swimmer. Make me as good as you, as good as Haruka…”_  
  
 **October**  
  
Rin had looked forward for this day for the past two weeks. To finally compete against other schools and see how he grew in skill. He knew that he was one of the top swimmers in their club, but against other school clubs, how would he rank. He could almost burst out of his skin from his excitement.  
  
His shark grin was wide on his face as he turned to Makoto, “We are going to rock this.”  
  
Makoto nodded his head, and gave a weak smile of encouragement. He knew he could this. He had work just as hard as Rin and improved his backstroke in great length. But to swim with the club was different, it was different back at the Iwatobi Swim Club too. This was for the honor of the school, his parents were out there, even his grandparents came down to see him swim. Some of the older kids talked about there was some scouts from some of high schools that large competitive swim programs were out there to see if there was any students they would light to try for their schools. Not to mention all the other schools he would race against.  
  
God, his nerves had gotten to him again. He continued to breathe in deep as Rin moved next to him and started to rub his back, “Calm down, Makoto. You got this.”  
  
Pure reaction, Makoto reached out and grabbed a hold of Rin’s free hand into his own. The other boy was shock, Makoto didn’t even look him in the fact, “Makoto…”  
  
“You...You’re going to be right here?”  
  
“Of course, I’ll be right here.”

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Hello Haru,  
  
We had this large swimming competition on Sports Day. All of these other middle schools attended and it was so much bigger than the one at the swim club. I actually won my primly in the 100m backstroke, but came in third in the finals. Still, that is a new best for me. Rin won both the 100m and 200m butterfly! You should have seen him with the medals around his neck. He also entered the primly for the 100m freestyle, but only came in second in the finals. I don’t think he was happy about it…_  
  
 **November**  
  
Another year, another birthday.   
  
Makoto smiled as he flopped himself onto the bed. He was full and warmed as his stomach was filled up with so much cake and pizza. He invites some of the swim club guys over and Rin had taken lead of the party as they all spend most of the afternoon at the Tachibana’s household. It was fun and Makoto enjoyed the time he had with his friends.  
  
Now, he had unwrapped most of his gifts when everyone had left. The only one left was Rin’s and he held it in his hand. This one had to be open last as to him; Rin was his closest friend now that Haruka wasn’t here. Makoto stared at the gift as he thought of Haru as he still hadn’t heard or even gotten a letter from him. It was a bit hurtful as it felt like Makoto was the only one that seemed to want to keep up their friendship.   
  
Maybe the letters had gotten lost?  
  
With the present, Makoto tore into it and stared with wide eyes when it was revealed to be a wooden pen and pencil set. It looked hand crave and there was these painted on killer whales that couldn’t help but bring this smile on his face. What made him even laugh a bit were these small shark erasers that Rin added into the gift.  
  
It was a real thoughtful gift and Makoto promised himself that he would use them every day.

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Hello Haru,  
  
I hope you did well on your exams. You didn’t spend all your time in the pool out there instead of studying I hope. Have you made any friends in Tokyo? You must have met some great swimmers there causes I bet they have pools that aren’t like anything out here…_  
  
 **December**  
  
Rin stared at the familiar boy in front of him as he held his school bag close. He was on his way home for the winter holidays and didn’t think that this would happen ever, not so soon.  
  
“Haru…” he gasped.  
  
Haruka didn’t say anything as he stood there with his winter coat and scarf on. It was like he never left, that he was still here and Rin didn’t know how to act.  
  
“What are you doing here?”  
  
“Obaasan wanted to visit.”  
  
“Does Makoto know you are here?”  
  
Haruka shook his head. That made Rin’s blood boil. He knew Makoto wrote to Haru every month. He had seen his friend write those letters during school. But not a single one hadn’t gotten a response. Makoto smiled and said that Haruka wouldn’t be the type to respond back right away, but Rin still didn’t like it. What kind of best friend would leave his friend to hang and struggles like that?  
  
“How can you not tell Makoto you’re here? Isn’t he your best friend?”  
  
Haruka didn’t move, didn’t say anything. Rin only sighed as he glared at his teammate/rival. This was the guy he had to beat? He didn’t seem to care at all about people. He didn’t even care about if he won or lost in a race. Can he even feel at all?  
  
“Lets go to the Iwatobi Swim Club, we are going to race, freestyle.”

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Dear Haru,  
  
I hope you had yourself a happy new year. It was busy here as Ren and Ran were all over the place. Then again, you know how they act during the holidays. But you can only be that little once and they should enjoy all the holiday events while they can…_

 **January**  
  
“Thanks again, Rin,” said Makoto.  
  
“Hey, I like your siblings, it ain’t that big deal as it is what friends do.”  
  
It was a lovely Sunday and Makoto had promise to take Ren and Ran out to skate around. He had been busy with exams the month before so now that everything had slowed down, he could take the two five year olds out. Rin offered to come along and brought his sister, Gou with him.  
  
Once they arrived at the rink, Gou was able to put her own skates but both Makoto and Rin had to help the twins put on their skates. Both of them cried a bit as they tighten them on to their feet but it needed it to be done. Now on the ice, the younger siblings skated off while Makoto and Rin were left behind.  
  
“Still, I could have handle it myself.”  
  
“You shouldn’t be scared to ask for help and you really need to stop being sp nice,” said Rin, turned around to skate backwards so he could look at Makoto, “You let others walk over you all the time.”  
  
“I don’t-”  
  
“Makoto, as your friend I’m just trying to look out for you. You need to toughen up and look after yourself sometimes.”  
  
Makoto bit his lip and didn’t say anything in respond. Every since winter break, he had noticed Rin was different. He had taken to his training more seriously than even before and didn’t seem to be as good nature. He still smile, but not as much. He tried to ask, but Rin only reflected it back to him.  
  
Maybe he would tell him one day.

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Dear Haru,  
  
How is Kotone-Obaasan doing? I was thinking about her the other day as Kaasan and me made mochis. She always did make the best, though I wouldn’t say that in front of my mother’s face. I think that would hurt her feelings…_  
  
 **February**  
  
For his birthday, Rin didn’t want any kind of big party. He invited only Makoto over for dinner and they spend the whole night playing video games. He didn’t need anything more than that as his didn’t think birthdays were that big of a deal. His mother and grandmother gave him a membership to this gym with an indoor swimming pool for all year round. He couldn’t be happier with it since the news that Iwatobi Swim Club had close down for the final time and he didn’t know where else he could swim at other than school.  
  
“I better head home, it is getting late,” said Makoto as he put down the controller and got off the bed before he moved to dig into his bag.  
  
“You should call your mom and sleep over. We don’t have school tomorrow,” said Rin.  
  
“I promise the twins I would read them a bedtime story,” said Makoto as he pulled out a nicely wrapped gift and held it out in both hands, “Here, this is for you.”  
  
“You know you didn’t need to get me anything.”  
  
“I wanted too,” said Makoto, with a flash of his large smile, “We are friends after all.”  
  
Rin smiled as he took the gift into his own hands, “Can I open it up now?”  
  
“I don’t mind, if you want too.”  
  
He didn’t need anything more than that as he tore into the gift paper and felt the soft material of a pair of mittens. But the nifty thing about them was that they were shaped like sharks. If he grabbed something with them, it would have looked like the sharks could had taken a bite out of them.  
  
“I know they are a little tacky, but I saw them-”  
  
“Don’t you say sorry,” said Rin as he putted them on with this a big shark grin on his face, “These are awesome! I love them!”

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Dear Haru,  
  
Rin got this membership to this gym with this indoor pool he can use all year round. It is huge and he took me with him as a guest to show me around. Way better than what I had seen at the school. But I bet you see all these kind of places in Tokyo, don’t you..._  
  
 **March**  
  
It was the last day of school and Makoto tried to feel happy about it. But how can he? It been a year since he last saw, heard from Haru and he didn’t know what to think. He still thought Haruka was his best friend and most likely would continue to think that. But did Haru still think of him as a friend?  
  
“Makoto...I got this idea.”  
  
The two boys walked along from school, there was no rush as they were done for now until the next school period. Rin seem to be in deep thought all day and whenever Makoto tried to ask about it, he said he would tell him after school.  
  
Well, it was after school now.  
  
“What is it, Rin?”  
  
“We got to be focusing more on what kind of high school we should go to once middle school is finish, right? Study hard for our final two years here.”  
  
“Yeah…”  
  
“I think we should go to Samezuka Academy.”  
  
Makoto blinked for a moment as Rin pulled out this well-worn pamphlet from his pocket. It looked like he had it for a while, all the folds marked in the paper, edges worn away with time.  
  
“It’s this swimming powerhouse. They always walk away every year with awards from every competition. Sometimes they win them all, sweep them up. They have classes that just focus on swimming. If I want to get into the Olympics, this is the place I got to get into. I heard from Maruyama-senpai that they have these super tough entrance exams and they are twice as hard on your swimming skill.”  
  
“Then you should go for it. I’ll help you anyway I can,” said Makoto as he could see the old spark in Rin’s eye again as he spoke about this school. He had heard about it, about an hour or so away by train and was a boarding school as well. He would miss Rin a lot, but this was the redhead’s passion and dream. He needed to go for it.  
  
“I want you to apply with me.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Look, this is one of the best schools around. We are a team, Makoto and if we both try our hardest together than we can both get in. You have the best backstroke in the club and this is your first year. You can do it, I believe in you. Come on and swim with me in high school too.”  
  
Makoto didn’t know what to say to that. What could he say?

\-----------------------------------  
  
 _Dear Haruka,  
  
Are we still friends?_

 


	3. Catch Up Drill!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which four years past, Haruka moves back, both Naigsa and him start their first year at Iwatobi High School and four old swimming team mates meet again.

 

 

 

______________________________________

_ **Rip Tide! ~  Chapter 02** _

__**Catch Up Drill!**_ _

______________________________________

He thought strange things when he was younger. He had thought that water was alive, that if he would become free. If he became free, then everything would make sense. There would be no pain, no suffering, no loneliness. In water, everything was equality to it. It could decided if one would live or die if you didn’t earn it acceptance. That he would become one with it when it took over his body, mind and soul.

Yeah….he thought some strange things when he was younger.

He still love water, that he felt at home when he swam, but Haruka knew the theories he had of it when he was a kid was something strange, weird and he grew out of it soon enough.

The years broke him of it.

When he moved to Tokyo, he knew that they should have never left Iwatobi. Instead of small homes, there were condos, apartments and office buildings that could touch the sky. Instead of being able to walk everywhere, there were buses and rails that could get anyone within a matter of minutes. Haruka could walk, but the sidewalks were overcrowded with people. Each step had him bump into someone else.

It wasn’t Iwatobi, he missed Iwatobi. He couldn’t swim like he did there. The pools weren’t the same and no one seemed to relate to him, not like water could. His parents signed him up swimming club, their new apartment even had a pool of its own, they thought it would make him happy.  He did enjoy when he could much more than back at Iwatobi, he could swim at the club, at the apartment, he even swam at the pool they built for the Olympics. But, just because the pools were high class, didn’t mean he had the same emotion to the water in them, not with all these loud people. He couldn’t listen to the water, couldn’t feel it with people diving in, splashing around, being playful in it as he swam.

His time in middle and high school weren’t happy times for him either. Those times, he didn’t even want to think about. Nor did he want to think about life at home.

When his parents told him at the end of his first of high school that they would be moving back to Iwatobi, he was thrill. By thrill he nodded, and spoke more than three words. They hadn’t had a proper conversation since Grandmother had died that summer of the pervious year. She was the only one he had left that understood him. All the old ties he had, the few friends he had back at Iwatobi…

...Those bridges he burnt down a long time ago…

They packed up all their things, Haruka boxed up what little he had and the few items he had saved of Grandmother that his parents hadn’t gotten rid of after her passing. It was quick, painless and was a move Haru had waited years for. They never sold their old home; it was a place they had kept as a summer home. They only had been back once since his father moved them all to Tokyo and it was during the winter they first moved away.

The move was quick and they gotten back to Iwatobi without much trouble. It hadn’t changed a bit. It looked the same since the day he moved away. He wondered if the old swim club was open, Haru wonder a lot of things and it brought back memories he didn’t want to remember. They had come back with more power once he entered his old room.

The sleepovers, the times Makoto had play video games together, school work and festivals they had done together. The amount of time they had spent together in childhood, those final months were indeed the best time of his life. When he swam with Makoto, Rin and Nagisa, he saw something, something that started to change how he felt about swimming.

With boxes needed to be unpacked, Haru dug around and pulled out one special shoe box. It by all appearance normal but inside of it held every letter Makoto had written to him over the past four years. The first year, he had gotten over a dozen from Makoto and Haru had been selfish.

He felt sorry for himself, that it was his life ruin when he moved to Tokyo and away from everything. He didn’t think how it had affected Makoto. All the good things mention, questions, talking about Rin all the time, he never read between the lines of the letters. He never responded until he gotten one letter after he been away for a year and it was only a single page.

It asked if he was still Makoto’s friend.

Haruka only responded to that one letter, but over the past three years, they slowly stopped. In his first year of high school, he had notice he hadn’t gotten a single letter from Makoto. It wasn’t until the school year was almost over during summer break. It was a moment of weakness when he was trying to fill the hole in his heart that grew when Obaasan passed. There was none and he felt ice of loneliness in his heart, the layers of it he had built up in order to protect himself from being hurt. Now, he didn’t want it, he wanted to feel.

Now, Haruka feel was regret.

He had taken Makoto’s friendship for granted and for his selfish ways, he would be forever alone. It wouldn’t be right to call him up, to write to him after for so long. Why? Because he was hurting? Where was fairness in that? Why should Makoto care if Haru was hurting over his lost? Where was that same concern when Makoto needed it? No, he couldn’t risk that chance, that chance of being turned away and refuse.

The move came a week before classes started and his parents still travelled back to Tokyo. They claimed that there was business that still needed to be taken care of. Haruka knew they didn’t want to be around, this small town wasn’t like their busy social lives in Tokyo. While he was miserable in Tokyo, they had loved it.

Maybe this whole move was a farce? Maybe they wanted to leave him too? He couldn’t blame them.

He had spent the week around town, looked to see what was still here and what was gone. It was a surprise to see the old swim club had shut down. He stood in front of the old building for what felt to be hours. The memories he had in this building were the few good ones he had left, even though his final time here was something he wish he could forget.

But most of the time he had spent in the tub of his house, with his swim suit on.

He was there on the second day of classes. He didn’t want to go, didn’t ever want to get out of the bath, but his parents would be told if he missed too many days. He dragged himself up, grilled some fish with toast and slumped his way to Iwatobi High School; by himself.

There was a small bit of hope that he could see Makoto, maybe Rin even to ask about Makoto. Maybe he would have the nerve to say sorry.

He walked into the main office and was told to go to Class 2-A for homeroom. It wasn’t hard to find the classroom and there were a lot of students inside of it already. With their smiles, and laughter, Harurka kept his eyes down on the floor before he made his way to a seat in the back.

No one notice and that was fine with him. He wanted to get through the day and get back home.

There was still no sign of Makoto or Rin at all. Maybe they weren’t in this class. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. His stomach turned. Would they want to see him? Would they tease him?  Be the same? Different? He didn’t know and it scared him. Did he even want to friends with him, which that thought scared him the most.

“Hey, you new here?”

Haruka heard a voice next to him, but didn’t give the voice any attention. It wasn’t familiar to him at all and had no interested in it at all. The notebook of well-done doodles held more interest to him than whoever tried to talk to him.

“Did you hear me? Or you just shy?”

No attention, whatsoever. If the guy was looking for someone to bully, Haru was going to give him anything. Not time, what so ever.

The guy next to him didn’t say anything else as a young adult woman walked into the room with this casual look about her. The class quieted down as she started go through role call and he knew what would happen when she gotten to his name.

“Ah...Miss Nanase Haruka?”

A sigh escaped his lips. Everyone thought with his name, that he was a girl. He turned to the window and didn’t really see fit to correct the teacher. She would learn soon enough who he was.

“Amakata-sensei! I think the guy here is Haruka!”

Now he had to look over at the person next to him. Some lanky guy with wavy light brown hair stood up with his arm in the air as the class had burst into laughter. Haru didn’t think it was funny, but people laughed as Haruka was more use as a female name than a male given on.

“Oh no! I am sorry Nanase-kun. You weren’t here yesterday correct?” the teacher said, her smile turned a bit more nervous over her mistake, “I’m Amakata Mihno, your new homeroom teacher. Nice to meet ya.”

It should had ended there but Amakata-san seem to think something over, “You are new here, aren’t you Nanase-kun? We can’t have you getting lost…”

Haru didn’t like this feeling of dread that overcame him.

“Hisakawa-kun, could you be Nanase-kun’s buddy for today?”

“Hai Amakata-sensei!”

Turns out the lanky guy that pointed him in class was Hisakawa….great…

* * *

Hisakawa didn’t leave him alone all day. Haruka didn’t speak a single word, and this guy kept moving his mouth. It was annoying because he couldn’t talk like Makoto who seem to know what he was thinking. He just talked about anything about anyone. He walked about how Amakata-sensei had Ama-chan as a nickname by the students, who was dating who, who had a crush on someone. Haruka wasn’t interested at all, even when he started to talk about the classes they had until it was time for lunch.

Now Haru could make his escape. He gotten up from his desk and was about to head straight to the door.

But Hisakawa somehow gotten in front of him with a bento box in hand, "Great idea, let’s go outside on the roof to eat our lunch. Did you bring one today? I can share some of mine, Tousan always makes too much food for me."

Curses, Haruka felt himself roped into this idiot's circle. For a moment, he wishes this boy was a bully so Haru had a reason to run. Didn’t he have any other friends he could bother with his nonstop talking. Haru knew that he could deal without it. He only wanted to get through the day, he didn't want to make friends. He didn’t want any friends at all. But Hisakawa didn’t seem to care or notice as he leaded Haru to the roof.

At least, until someone cried out behind them.

“Haru-chan! Haru-chan!”

There shouldn’t be anyone that knew him…at least; he thought no one should have. He was new, not even students he went to elementary school seem to know him anymore even though after four years. It...the voice...it was something else, it was familiar.

 It was a shorter younger classmate, Haru could tell by the red tie he wore.  Why their high school thought to color code their years? He didn’t know but red was for first year, green like what he wore was a second year and the third year wore blue. The younger boy had this large smile of acquaintance and a large mop of blond hair that almost could hide these pink eyes.

“It know it been a long time! I just started here at Iwatobi High School with you too!” he shouted with a wave of his hand.

“Haruka-san, do you know him?” asked Hisakawa.

Haruka had to think, the face, the voice and someone calling him Haru-chan…It all dawn on him in a moment.

“Nagisa?” he gasped. For the first time in forever, he felt something inside. Could it be hope?

It took a large smile for Haru to know it was the same Nagisa he knew four years ago.

Nagisa joined the two of them on the roof for lunch and Haruka was a bit happy, happy than he had been in a long, long while. Nagisa hadn’t changed one bit since he had last saw him. He was still bright, talkative and full of this energy and it was as if he had never left.

“So you two knew each our four years ago?” asked Hisakawa as Nagisa told him how they knew each other.

“Hai!” said Nagisa, “We were on the same relay team at our old swim club before it closed down. There was me, Haru-chan, Rin-chan and Mako-chan.”

“….You all guys?”

“Yup! We are all guys with girly names. Neat huh?”

“I say!” said Hisakawa, laughing and for a moment Haruka thought it was cause of their names before his force tour guide spoke, “I’m Hisakawa Kaede.”

“Ooooooh,” gasped Nagisa in surprise, “You are too a boy with a girly name! It must be fate.”

“I guess,” said the newly reveal Kaede, “Haruka-san, how come you never mention you knew anyone here? I would had helped you find your friends.”

Haruka shrugged his shoulder as he took a sip of his juice box, “I didn’t know if anyone was here.”

“Ah! You speak!” laugh Kaede with a fist bump, “And more than one word, a new record!”

A cold glare from Haru brought that cheerful moment to a halt.

“I hadn’t seen Mako-chan or Rin-chan around and no one around here known them,” said Nagisa with a huff, “I hadn’t hear from either of them since the swim club shut down caused I went to a different middle school. When I came here, I was happy that I could see you all again, but I only heard of you Haru-chan.”

No Makoto? No Rin? Haruka didn’t show it, but he was a bit puzzle. Shouldn’t they have come here for high school? Where else could they have gone too? Could they have moved? Makoto never mention….but it been a year…

“I wanted to swim with everyone again too,” said Nagisa, “But there isn’t a swim club here and the swimming pool is totally in ruin.”

“Yeah, it hadn’t been use in years.”

“Haru-chan! We should start up a swim club.”

“No, and don’t call me that.”

“But your name is Haru-chan. Come on, it will be fun!”

“No.”

This conversation continued as lunch time came to an end and the three of them left the roof to get back to class, unknowing that someone had watch them the entire time near the doorway as Nagisa spoke up, “Did you know that they are going to tear down our old swimming club in a couple days. Why don’t we visit it one last time?”

“That sounds rom-“

“No.”

“Awww, come on Haru-chan,” said Nagisa, took a hold of Haruka’s arm to hang off of it, “We have too! We have to dig it up.”

“No…”

“Please! It will be fun.”

“No.”

“You should do it, I mean think of all the memories you must have there. You should go and see it one last time.”

“No. Too much effort.”

“Haru-chan, we have to get it.”

“I don’t want too.”

“You should see the pool you swam in one last time.”

At the word of pool, Haruka’s felt something in his mind just click. 

* * *

Muscles tighten as he finished the lap, his head broke free of the water, and the first he did was take in a great breath of air now as he felt his body come to rest. His hand reached up, ripped of his swim cap and goggles off before he flopped onto the lane marker.

  
“You’re going to run yourself ragged.”  
  
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he said as he saw the hand extended to him. He reached out, took a hold of it and was helped out of the pool, “Stop being a mother hen.”  
  
“When you stop being ridiculous, than maybe.”  
  
It was a common conversation that Rin and Makoto had developed over the years. When Makoto pulled Rin out of the pool, smiles were exchange as they headed in after everyone else. The locker room was filled with chatter as their teammates were already inside and getting themselves out of their swimsuits, shower and dried up before they headed back to their dorms. Some would hang out with friends, others would rush to do homework due for the next day.

  
"About time you two came in," laughed a higher classmate, one of the few that were taller than Makoto, with bright slick back red hair and these golden eyes that beam with energy, "Thought I was going to need to send out a rescue party."  
  
"Not my fault, Mikoshiba-buchou," laugh Makoto, "Rin-chan never wants to get out."  
  
Rin frown but merely snorted as he playfully shove his friend for his teasing tone of voice, "Hey, sorry for wanting to improve my times. It isn't like I am the only one that ever done that, Buchou."  
  
Mikoshiba Seijuuro merely laughed, "I just don't want two of the best swimmers on the team to tired themselves out before we actually compete. You guys need to set an example to the younger swimmers."  
  
"Hai!"  
  
"Sure, whatever you say."  
  
Seijuuro formed a bit more serious face but still in a friendly matter, "Actually, I been meaning to talk to you, Tachibana."  
  
"What about?" asked Makoto, a tad of confusion of why Seijuuro wanted him.  
  
Since their first year, Seijuuro had acted as this kind of mentor to them, show them around Samezuka and the how-tos of the swim club. He was a friendly guy and gotten along with everyone. That’s why he made captain this year, and Makoto couldn't think of anyone better for the job. Seijuuro was not only a great swimmer on his own, but made sure to bring the best out of everyone else and tried to help anyone that needed it.  
  
"Just a sec," said Seijuuro which only confuse Makoto as the older student turned to the locker room, "Oi! Everyone turn your attention here!"  
  
Makoto could feel all the eyes of the club on him and couldn't' help but shift around on his bare feet on the wet floor. Rin had this altitude of knowing what was what as he stood next to him. To have that familiar weight next to him, made Makoto felt a bit more at ease, but not by much.  
  
"Don't worry about," said Rin with a smirk on his face, "It is all good news."  
  
Makoto didn't know what to make of that comment when Seijuuro seem please enough with the attention he gotten before he spoke again.  
  
"Ok, all you give your congrats to Tachibana Makoto! He’s your new vice-captain starting now!"  
  
"What!" shouted Makoto, in shock and surprise by the announcement as everyone cheered and offered their support, well wishes and congrats him on the news.  
  
"Told you it was good," said Rin," a shark grin played across his face as he wrapped his arm around Makoto's shoulder, "Good job, Makoto."  
  
"B-B-But,"  
  
"You deserve it Tachibana," said Seijuuro with a wide grin of his own, "You work as twice as hard and always look after everyone else. People might say a vice-captain is a meaningless title, but with all of us, I know I can count on you to help me with the team. Am I right everyone?!"

“Hai Buchou!”  
  
His face was red now with all the praise, all the support he gotten from everyone and knew better than to refuse the title. It was an honor, to be vice-captain of the Samezuka Swim Club. He never would had thought when Rin and him applied and took the entrance exam that they would had gotten this far.  
  
Everyone continued to congrats him on the way to the lockers and Rin still had this shark shitting grin on his face as they stripped out of their swimsuits and moved to the showers.  
  
"You knew, didn't you?"  
  
"Damn right," said Rin, "Buchou came to me and ask what I would think about you being vice-captain. I told him he would be stupid if he didn't. You're perfect for the job and damn it all, I can see you as captain next year."  
  
"You should be vice-captain, you’re a way better swimmer than me."  
  
"No way, my problem is that I always seem to focus on my own stuff. You always worry about everyone else, offer advice and just look after the team. I would just bite someone's head off if they bug me enough."  
  
Makoto laughed when he felt the warm water hit his naked form, "Like Aiichiro?"  
  
"Agur, Nitori is ok, just always with the praise and really I think I just put up with him cause he reminds me of you when we were younger."  
  
"Me? You can't be serious?"  
  
"Do you remember how much of a wimp you were back then? You always second guess yourself."  
  
"Excuse me! Half the time I did was cause you were about to do something stupid."  
  
"Oh yeah, name one time?"  
  
"You want to break into the pool here during the final year of middle school cause you couldn't wait."  
  
"Oh please, that wasn't bad."  
  
"You started to strip right outside the building."  
  
They fought back and forth as only two friends as close as them could. They had came a long way since the relay four years ago. Makoto knew how he had change in the way of his swimming and his fear of the water. No longer had it bother him if only the water was in an control area like a pool, he still held fear of the ocean but it was bad as long as Rin was with him.  
  
Rin though, while not as friendly as he was as a child, he still smile and was as competitive as ever maybe even more so. He became more focus on the front crawl over time, as if he was preparing for something. Makoto asked, but Rin never told him.  
  
With the shower finish, the two second years move to change into their street clothes at their lockers. Makoto noticed his phone flash that he had a text from someone. He took his phone and flipped it to read it. There were quite a few people that had his cell phone number, his parents, Ren and Ran, Rin, Seijuuro, swim club members he was friends with and some classmates. So, it could be any number of people.  
  
When he saw it was from Gou, he opened it as she only text him when Rin didn’t give her an answer right away.   
  
It only took him a moment to read the text before he almost dropped his phone from shock. Rin noticed it straight away as Makoto froze in place, “Yo, what’s up? Who texted?”  
  
“...Its Haru…Haruka back.”

* * *

Kaede left him alone after class, but Nagisa taken his place at Haru’s side as he followed him all the way home after school. It was a nice feeling as at least Haru knew Nagisa and where he had stood with the younger boy. It was as if nothing changed. It was if he had never left as Nagisa talked away. 

  
He still didn't know if this was the right idea. They had promise that they would dig up the trophy, all four of them together when they had grown up. It had been Rin's idea and it felt wrong that it was only the two of them now. But as Nagisa pointed out, they didn't know where Makoto and Rin were and they were going to tear the whole club down and there was the chance that they would never dig it up at all. If they wanted to do it, now was the time to do so.  
  
With a change of clothes and shovel in the hand the two old swimming team mates travelled to the old club.   
  
"They say that you can hear sobs coming from it, that the whole place is haunted," said Nagisa.  
  
"Foolish," said Haruka as he made his way inside the building.  
  
"Hey! You can never be too sure with spirits! I came prepare!" declared Nagisa as he step in front of Haruka, only to throw something on to him, "Salt shall protect us from the bad ones!"  
  
Haruka stood there and merely shook his head as he continued to walk inside the building. Why would anyone believe in ghosts? There was nothing of that sort here as no one ever had died here so there would be no reason for someone to haunt this place. The only thing that would die here is hopes, dreams and friendships.  
  
They walk through the familiar hallways as if they had been here the day before. Might had been in ruins, but there were still a lot of items inside. It was as if everyone left and they thought they would be back the next day to gather up their stuff. Nagisa leaded Haruka through until they came to the locker room and into the lounge area.  
  
"Look! Our picture is still up!" declared Nagisa as he ran up to grab it off the wall.  
  
There it was as Nagisa showed if off to him. There they were as Rin held up that year's trophy for the relay race. Everyone but himself had large smiles on their face, each one held with pride at the hard earn victory they had rightfully earn for themselves. It should have brought happy memories like it seem had for Nagisa, but they only brought sadness to Haruka.  
  
"I can’t believe they have all these pictures up. Look how young we were, so cute,” laughed Nagisa, turned to face Haruka but paused a moment in shock. Haru notice and seem think the younger boy had spotted something.  
  
Or someone…  
  
“Rin-chan! Mako-chan!”   
  
His blood froze, Haruka didn’t dare turn around as Nagisa rushed passed him. He could hear the voices of others, laughter and words of hellos and nice to see you. He should turn around, he should. It was fear that stopped him, fear that is wasn’t real. If he turned around, it would all disappear.  
  
“Yo, not going to say hello, Haru?”  
  
The familiar voice took a hold of him and Haru felt himself turn around. His eyes widen as memories of old resurface.  
  
Their faces were older, as time does that, but he knew them as they were always in his mind. Rin had his arm around Nagisa in friendly manner, as if they were always together every day. His face became sharper, his hair still in the same style with its brown/red coloring hidden under a baseball cap. But his eyes while seem to be friendly, were sharp as he narrow down his sights on Haru as he smile. His smile was the same as always, a shark with teeth to match.  
  
But Makoto…  
  
This wasn’t the boy Haru had left four years ago. He had a major growth spurt, towered over them all now. His height wasn’t the only change as his body filled out in a way of muscle and broad shoulders with the way of loose orange and black shirt hung off of his body. His hair was style a bit differently since he remember, still short, but his side were cut shorter while his bangs hung over his eyes. Those green eyes still shone with his friendly nature but they seem to reflect a more sure nature, even in his stance seem to show that.  
  
He didn’t know what he could say, what could he say?  
  
“This is great! It’s like fate has brought us back together again,” said Nagisa as he hung off Rin.  
  
“More like Gou did,” said Rin with a smirk, “She goes to Iwatobi too, she overhear you guys and told Makoto and me about your plot to break into here.”  
  
Makoto merely laugh, “You mean, I told you. You weren’t checking your phone.”  
  
It felt strange, out of place as if nothing was different. But it was, he knew it was.  
  
“Where are you guys? I tried to find you at school and-”  
  
“Nagisa, calm down,” said Makoto, continued to laugh as he rubbed Nagisa’s hair, “Its just...we go to a different school.”  
  
“Oh! Where?”  
  
“Samezuka Academy,” replied Rin, a shark eating grin still on his face as he kept his eyes on Haruka, who still stood there off to the side.  
  
The name wasn’t familiar to him, but Nagisa gasped at the name, “The championship swimming school! You two got into there?!”  
  
That...that surprise him, “You’re swimming?” asked Haruka, an open question as he didn’t know who he said that to. Last time he saw Rin, he was depressed and acted as he wasn’t ever going to swim again and Makoto...he never had the same passion in swimming as they did. It was one thing to swim in the middle school club. But to go to a school that was about swimming...it wasn’t like him  
  
The Makoto he knew was scared of the ocean, swam the backstroke because of that fear.

“Of course,” said Rin with a scoffed as he had this predator look, “You should see the new skills we both got. What about you? Learn anything new?”  
  
Haruka frown, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”  
  
Rin smirk at that, “Good to know...lets race.”  
  
He removed his arm around Nagisa and started to walk down the hallway. Haruka didn’t protest as he followed on behind him.  
  
  
“What? They’re going to swim?” asked Nagisa once he and Makoto watch the two walk away from them.

  
Makoto merely sigh with a shake of his head but still had a smile on his face, “Some things don’t really change,” he said but the smile turned to a frown, “But we need to stop them before they do something stupid.”

Stupid would be an understatement as the two old swimming team mates made their way to the old swimming pool. Neither of them spoke a single word, they just walked and when they got closer, their pace picked up.

 

“I’m going to show you that we different now,” said Rin, almost ripped his shirt off as he pulled it off once they each pool side.

 

“Sure, show me,” said Haru, his own shirt removed.  
  
Given that had they stripped out of their clothes and shown their swimsuits underneath them while they stretch out to race.  
  
“Guys! Stop for a moment!” shouted Makoto.  
  
Neither of them paid attention to him, both continue in their own little world as they dashed on to the starting blocks. It was in the memory of their body as they took the right position. It was as if they would be ready to jump in if Makoto hadn’t decided to raise his voice louder.  
  
“There isn’t any water!”  
  
Both edger swimmers paused and realize that it was indeed true. There wasn’t any water inside the old pool and there shouldn’t had been any in there to start with. This old swimming club had been shut down for the past few years, and they were going to tear it down in only a few days. Why on earth would they keep the pool fill with water. Haru stared out at the empty pool as he came back to reality. Rin merely sigh as he removed his goggles.  
  
“That was lame,” he mumbled, stepped down from the starting block.  
  
“You need to think before you do things,” said Makoto as he merely picked up Rin’s shirt and threw it at the other’s face.  
  
Haruka step down and gather up his own clothes. It felt strange, strange as he that this should be what is happening. He picked up his own clothes and watch both Makoto and Rin talk to one another, in friendly terms he never seen between them before. Nagisa only happily walked over and latched himself on to both of them. The way they laugh, while he stood on the edge of it, only being able to watch on what could be seen as an ideal moment between friends. He could hear about how Rin and Makoto tease Nagisa for not growing much, who merely said he hadn’t reach his growth spurred yet, Nagisa pointed out how Makoto must have gotten braver to have gotten a piercing in his left ear, such things. Haru started to block it out and it all became white noise.  
  
His sense got a rush when he heard Nagisa called out to him that they were going to unbury the trophy together. Makoto smiled and waved while Rin just only spare a glance. Haruka followed but it didn’t feel right. He felt like he was an intruder and didn’t want to be a bother. It wasn’t like they hadn’t tried to bring him in, ask about what he had done in Tokyo, did he still swim, how he found things change over the years. He could only nod and give short answers. It seemed to be enough for Nagisa who happily chatted. Makoto merely gave him a small smile while Rin acted as if he wasn’t there to start with.  
  
The marker was still there and it didn’t take long for them to dig up the cookie container they had place the trophy into it. Once the dirt was set aside, the four them stared down on to the lid of it  
  
“Who's going to open it?” said Nagisa.  
  
“Rin, why don’t you? This whole thing was your idea,” suggested Makoto.  
  
The redhead snorted, “If you're all chicken,” he said before he reached down and picked up the metal tin, removed the lib.  
  
Haruka blinked as he stared down at the trophy they had won together, it hadn’t change at all since that day. Rin smirked as he reached down and picked it up in his hand.  
  
“Whoa, I can’t believe it is still here,” said Nagisa, stared with wide eyes at the trophy, “...What are we going to do with it?”  
  
“Well, I don’t need it anymore,” said Rin with a snort as he quickly handed the trophy off to Nagisa, “You can decide what to with it.”  
  
“But Rin-chan…”  
  
“Rin, wh-”  
  
“Come on Makoto, we got to get back.”  
  
Makoto looked up at Rin before turned back to Nagisa and Haruka. For a moment, Haruka swore he saw the old Makoto back. The young boy that wanted all his friends to get along with one another but knew he had to be with his best friend. Makoto merely smiled as he took off in a jog after Rin and waved good bye.  
  
“See you later guys,” he called out, “Nagisa, Haru, text me! Find Gou-chan to get my number!”  
  
The two Iwatobi boys stood there with trophy in hand as the two Samezuka boys walked off into the night. Nagisa bit his lip as he looked down at it before he turned to Haruka, “That was interesting, huh Haru-chan?”  
  
Haruka didn’t know what to say or respond. He still tried to get over how Makoto spoke and acted...it wasn’t the same.  
  
Why did it hurt? For the second time in one day, the ice around his heart cracked.

 


	4. Try Sighting in Open Ocean of Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Makoto can't sleep, Rin crosses a small line and Nagisa skinny dips and plots reviving Iwatobi's swim club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for staying with me so far. I do hope that you are all enjoying the story so far. Its been tricky going over things and getting attach to things XD Anyway, enjoy this next part everyone!

 

 

 

**__________________________**

**_Rip Tide! ~ Chapter 03_ **

**Try Sighting in Open Ocean of Emotions!**

_**_________________________** _

It was something out of his dream. He laid there on the bottom bunk, Makoto stared up onto the bed above him and into nothing. His mind kept going over and over again what had happen tonight. He never ever thought he would see Haruka again and if he did, it would be at some swim meet with some major school in Tokyo maybe. Even then, he thought that Haru wouldn't recognize him. Maybe chalked him off as this old childhood friend from his sleepy seaside home town that he knew years ago before going to the big, busy city

But to Makoto, Haruka would never be that, never could be that.

When he gotten the text from Gou, his mind blanked out and couldn't even work right.

_“...Its Haru….Haruka back.”_

_"What?" asked Rin, rushed over to Makoto's side to look over his shoulder, "What are you talking about?"_

_"Gou saw Haruka, with Nagisa....they were talking about going to the old swim club tonight."_

_The promise they had made to each other to unburied the trophy together all came back to him. That had been a naive promise that little kids come up with as if they would always be together, stay in touch with one another. They never thought they would grow up and go different ways, but it happens and they all go on with their lives._

_But here was a text, said that Nagisa and Haruka were going after their trophy. Gou wouldn’t be one to lie about something like this. She was a sweet kid, different in ways from Rin, but they both shared the same bull headedness and a powerful fury if needed. She knew how important that relay was to them. Even though Rin pretended he wanted to move on from it, didn’t want to think of the old team, Makoto did._

_And here was the chance to see Haru again and Makoto didn’t know what to do. He wanted to go back to bed, curl up and think it was a dream. It could be a dream or a nightmare of sorts. That trophy was going to be buried underground forever, under some new building and acted as some kind of time capsule. To dig it up, to know it was happening, it had dug up all buried issues he had with it._

_“What do you want to do?”_

_Pulled out of his thoughts, Makoto turned to Rin. The redhead had this serious look on his face, which he wanted some kind of answer given. But there was this part of concern there. Rin never shown that part of himself, but Makoto could always see it, even if Rin didn’t know it was there._

_“I...I don’t know,” said Makoto, phone in hand. One moment, he was on cloud nine. He was made vice captain of the Samezuka Academy Swim Club. How many people could claim that and with that title? It made him one of the front runners to even be captain next year. It would look great when he was applying to university next year. His parents were going to be so proud and he couldn’t help but allow that bit of pride rise up in his body._

_Now the one person that gotten him into the water in the first place, the one person that cause a storm of emotion that rush into his body. He wanted to go, to see the truth that Haruka was here and alive. Another part of himself, a dark hidden part told him to screw Haruka. The boy hadn’t spoken to him in years. Only sign that he was still alive, of contact was one letter from four years ago._

_He still had that letter, kept safe in one of his heavy textbook._

_Though, he hadn’t sent a letter in about a year either, not since he started Samezuka. To keep up his school work and swim club took up all of his time. Makoto barely had time over the weekend to visit his family for Sunday night dinners._

_“You don’t own him nothing,” said Rin pulling his shirt down, “We can just hang out and celebrate.”_

_That...that would be nice but Makoto stared down at the text. It wasn’t news that Rin taken to some kind of dislike for Haruka over the years. It could be this rivalry that was from back when they were younger. Rin always wanted to beat Haru, wanted to have the fastest time. Back then, he done it more for fun, laugh more and his smile was wider. Over the years, Makoto blamed himself for his focus on Haru that Rin grew to have these feelings. He would talk about the unanswered letters, wondering what Haru was doing now, how Haru would love this, and Rin would hear every word of it._

_He imaged that Rin felt like he was competing to being Makoto’s best friend with someone who wasn’t even here. But he never said anything, neither of them._

_“But..What about Nagisa? We hadn’t seen him in forever,” pushed Makoto. He always had a soft spot for the younger boy, who was always trying to be just like the older kids, how he gush about them, wanted to please them. It would be nice to see how he had grown over the years._

_Rin actually pause a bit in thought and for a second, Makoto thought he was going to turn down the idea. Nagisa might had been their teammate, been in the same swim club, but it was hard to be with the boy since they both went to different schools. Hell, it was Rin that help Nagisa with his swimming and acted in sorts of a big brother to the younger boy, who needed the attention with his older sisters. It was warming to see a smile form on Rin as he nodded his head at the idea._

_“It would be good to see the little bugger again.”_

_“Great! We should get ready than if we are going to surprise them at the swim club.”_

_Maybe by then he would get his emotions in control when they left._

Now that he had seen both boys, that their team had gotten together to dig up the trophy, Makoto couldn't help but keep his eyes on Haru. The guy hadn't chance at all since they were kids. He still had the same look on his face, the whole cool outlook that was the perfect poker face. He knew how to read it when they were younger, but it had been a few years. But when they looked at once another, when Nagisa called out their names and he soon enough turned around to face them, Makoto knew he saw the shock and surprise in those eyes of his. He might have been emotionless by all appearances, but Makoto was able to pick it up.

It had been years, and he could still pick it up.

He wanted to run up and hug him, but he still didn't know. He didn't know how Haruka would react to the sudden attention. In truth, he was scare. He was just plain scare to get close again.

There was still that part of his own soul that wanted to ignore Haruka. He wasn't doing anything to show they had a friendship at all. In fact, the only conversation he seem to have was with Rin as they were about to jump into the empty pool. If Makoto could describe Haruka now, he would say the boy was more close-off. He was always a quiet kid when they were younger, but he now seemed to be worst as he barely said anything.

Makoto was concern and wanted to call Haru out on it.

Makoto didn't want to care as it wasn't his problem anymore.

"Agur!" moaned Makoto, shoved his face into his pillow.

"You still awake?"

He pulled his face away to look at the upside down head of Rin above him, "....Sorry."

He merely sighed as his head disappeared but Makoto saw his feet appear as Rin climbed his way down from the top bunk, "You are still thinking about Haru, aren't you?"

"I-I-I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You’re a horrible liar."

"Sorry..."

"I shouldn't be surprise," said Rin, huff and flopped onto the end of Makoto's bed, "He was a major part of your life, than ditched you. Once your life is going the right way, he decided to waltz his way back into it after a few years and screw you up.'"

"Hey, isn’t that a little harsh," said Makoto as he sat up in bed, “It wasn’t like he done this on purpose.”

"How many times had Haruka wrote back to you? How many letters had you sent him?" said Rin in a dead serious tone, "You tried to keep in contact with him, but he failed. He doesn't care about your friendship and most likely thought you were still going to be the kid left behind when he moved back. He didn’t care about any of us, the selfish prick."

"We don't know that..."

"He didn't think you would still be swimming," sneered Rin, his eyes narrow down at Makoto, "I know you swam for him in the past, but that was years ago. You aren't that little kid anymore."

True, he wasn't 'little' any more, but Makoto felt like it at times. There was that hidden fear, but with Rin and the others, it was better. But he couldn't ignore Haruka, there was that small hope that they could be like before, be close now that he was back.

"Things aren't going to change back to what they use to be,” said Rin.

That was the truth and Makoto knew that as he moaned into his pillow once more.

* * *

“Whoa! That is like something out on TV or a movie! Meeting your childhood friends while going to uncovering this old memento that you all buried together,” said Kaede, gasped when Nagisa finished his story.

Haruka sighed as he didn’t know Kaede continue to hang around him. It wasn’t like he gave the boy any positive incentive, unless the guy was into that kind of thing…too much trouble. But Kaede followed him around, chatted away without someone to stop him. Even trailed on after him during lunch, but at least there was Nagisa that could act as some kind of buffer between them. He didn’t want to deal with his classmate longer than he had too.

“I know! But Rin-chan and Mako-chan are so different now. Like Rin-chan didn’t want our trophy anymore and Mako-chan didn’t even talk to Haru-chan at all. They were best friends!”

“Well...best friends can be like that I guess,” said Kaede, nodding his head along, “It was part of the plot in Ano Hana The Flower We Saw That Day, after the death of a member of a group of childhood friends, they all drifted away…but than her ghost show up and-“

“No! Not Mako-chan! He and Haru-chan are best friends forever, he could read Haru-chan’s mind,” said Nagisa.

“Really?”

Haru felt their eyes as both boys turned to him and taken to staring at him for a moment. He sighed and turned his head away from the two of them as they continue to chat. He wasn’t surprise, in fact he should be happy. Makoto moved on and he shouldn’t be sad.

Everyone would leave him and this was for the best.

But why did it hurt when he didn’t even call him Haru or Haru-chan?. He hated when Makoto use chan at the end of his name. Why did he want to hear it once more from his lips, to hear his voice call out his name like that again?

“Are you guys going to meet up again?” asked Kaede.

“I don’t know,” said Nagisa with a huff, “They go to Samezuka and that sooooo far away.”

“But no cell phone? Email? You can’t let it end here! The story must continue onwards to a happy ending,” said Kaede, stood up and made some stupid pose, like someone telling some grand tale. Either way, Haru thought he looked stupid before he spoke, “It cannot end in a cliffhanger, those are evil, pure evil, work of the devil and-“

“Gou.”

“Goul?”

“No! Gou!” said Nagisa as he stood up, joined Kaede’s side, “She’s Rin-chan’s sister and Mako-chan said she had his cellphone number. We have to hunt her down and get the number by any means.”

“Well, that sounds like a good idea,” laugh Kaede.

Haruka merely tried to pretend he wasn’t with the two of them as they laughed away in public.

He couldn’t escape as both of them picked him up and dragged him off to find Gou. He had forgotten Rin actually had a sister, though they only met once or so he could remember. Now they were trying to find her within a school of like hundreds students. He highly doubts that they would find some trace of her.

“Are you Gou-chan?”

Lies it seem as Haruka stood back on the roof with the two hyper boys as they stood in front of two first year girls.

“Its Kou,” demand the redhead girl with a high tied ponytail. Just by the sight of her, she could be Rin’s sister. They had the same hair color, eyes and right now same attitude.

“So you're Rin-chan’s sister, nice to meet ya,” declared Nagisa, “We're old friends of his. Mako-chan said you had his cellphone number. He forgot to give it to us last night.”

“I know who you are,” she sighed before she dug out her phone.

“Gou...isn’t that a boy’s name?” asked Kaede.

‘Kou’ glared at him, “Its Kou,” she started while her friend with the high done bun lightly giggle, before she turned back to the boys, “And who are you supposes to be? I don’t think you’re one of Oniichan’s friends.”

“Ah...I’m Hisakawa Kaede, Haruka-san’s classmate.”

The young girl frown before she glance her sight over to Haruka, where is soften a bit, “You’re Haruka? I don’t know if you remember me, but I remember you. Makoto-chan and Oniichan talked about you a lot.”

He could feel his heart beep a bit faster. They talked about him...really?

“I know you were all on the same relay team back at the old club,” she sighed, “Though, I don’t hear much from Oniichan much. He doesn’t visit a lot since Samezuka is a boarding school so he can stay there.”

Rin didn’t visit his family? What about Makoto? Makoto cared so much for his family from what Haru could remember that. He remembered being invited to Sunday dinners. Makoto wouldn’t split away from his family like that, or at least Haruka didn’t believe that. Who knows now?

“Do you see Mako-chan?” piped up Nagisa.

“Before they left for Samezuka, Makoto-chan had been over to our house as much as Oniichan had been over at his,” said Gou a distance look came across her face, “Oniichan has been different since he went away to school...but if Makoto-chan hadn’t been around, he might had been worst.”

He felt something in the middle of his throat. Haru had seen how the two boys acted one another, how Makoto picked up Rin’s clothes, responded to comments and they were physical with one another as only best friends could be. How Makoto trailed on after Rin…That who he was, he looked after his friends and made sure they were happy before himself.

“We should visit them,” said Nagisa as he turned to Haruka, “We should drop by their school and see them.”

“What’s the point?” sighed Haru. He wanted too, he wanted to see them both again, but did he want to tempt fate? What happen if Makoto and he were alone and he finally snap? Told him what he really thought of Haruka after these years. Rin wouldn’t have a problem with that no doubt.

“Cause they’re our friends and we hadn’t seen them in forever,” whined Nagisa as he grabbed a hold of Haruka’s arm and started to shake it, “We just have too!”

Kaede gotten into the act as he place a hand on Haru’s shoulder and take this stupid noble pose again, “You must go because you can’t not let the story end like this. We need to have a happy ending. You already reunited with friends long thought lost. You must continue onwards. You might go to different schools but when has being on different sides stop anyone. Romeo and Juliet! Evangeline and Gabriel! Ichigo and Uryuu!”

“Didn’t most of those characters die...and were couples…” commented Gou’s friend.

“The bonds of friendship are as deep of the truest love.”

“No.”

“Haru-chan, please.”

“No.”

“You know, Samezuka has an indoor pool that is top class, one of the best in the school district.”

He looked up from the two boys hanging off of him over to Gou, who merely ate away at her lunch as she pretended as if she never spoke out. But she had and Haruka regain full interest in what the others were saying.

* * *

It felt strange to be getting change without Makoto, but Rin understood that now that he was vice captain, the guy had to do other things before he could go back to the dorm. Cleaning up the pool, getting the dirty towels and other things Makoto explained to him before Rin tuned him out. He really didn’t want to know and was more please that he wasn’t given the job. Not that he was in the running for the job to start with.

Still, it would take a bit getting use the fact he would walk back to the dorm by himself. Rin had gotten use to the two of them walking back from practice since...well...forever it felt like. It wasn’t that big of a deal, if he wasn’t still concern over how Makoto was acting over the fact Haruka was back.

He wanted to spit at the name. He felt nothing but distaste to their former team mate. Makoto might not act as if it was a big deal, but Rin sure as hell knew it was. How dare the guy show up after four years and act if nothing had happen? The very nerve, it was an insult. To even think that Makoto wouldn’t even be swimming at all as well. If Haru just assume it was just him, he wouldn’t take it as a grain of salt, but to accuse Makoto?

His world doesn’t revolve around Haru, not any more. They were both pass the swim club. Though, it was a shame that they had lost contact with Nagisa. If they hadn’t, he might had tried to get into Samezuka too to be with them. He liked the little guy and it would be good to get the real team back together again.

It was as if some higher power called out, Rin reached for his cellphone and saw that he had a couple texts. He flipped it on and noticed that they were from not only Gou but from Nagisa as well. He must had gotten his number from his sister and jumped right at the chance to reconnect.

 

 

 

_Hi Rin-chan! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ We R comin 2 c U & Mako-chan! Haru-chan & me! Can't W8 2 c you!MEt U by d pool☆*･゜ﾟ･*\\(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆_

Rin stared at the text with its loud colors and font, with all the emoticons. Nagisa hadn’t really changed from the cheerful boy that wanted to hang out with the big boys and wanted help with his strokes. But he read over the message and felt anger again. Haruka was going to show up and that would upset Makoto again. They barely talked to him last night and Makoto barely slept causes he couldn’t get his mind off of Haru. His best friend didn’t need this grief on top of his new duties. He should be happy, the best time of his life because if anyone that deserves to be content with life it is Makoto.

The guy does so much for others, doesn’t ask for anything in return. He doesn’t deserve to have shit dumped on to him.

It might not have been smart, and Nagisa hadn’t done anything but Rin didn’t want Makoto and Haru together in the same room right now. It was easy to get into his locker and get his cellphone. They knew each other locker combinations, borrow things so no one thought anything. Rin grabbed Makoto’s phone and notice there were the same messages on his own. It didn’t take a second moment of thought as his fingers moved over the touch screen.

“Delete.”

* * *

He didn’t want to stay out of this story any longer. Kaede sorted of invited himself along the ride this time when Haruka finally agreed to travel to Samezuka Academy. Maybe his words of friendship of love convince him? Or Nagisa’s need to reunite his relay team together? Gou trying to regain the brother she lost to his own emotions or something else. Kaede didn’t know but was quite curious to find out what the next chapter in this tale would be.

To know the whole story, Kaede felt this need to know. When they had first met, he felt that there was something to Haruka. The boy was unnatural quiet, didn’t react at all. When he bugged someone with his chatter, they either tell him to screw off or walk away, maybe talk to someone else. It was something he was used to, but Haruka acted lifeless. It didn’t feel right and deep down Kaede wanted to see some sort of spirit, life in him. Those unnatural blue eyes needed some kind of spark inside of them.

It was possible; he saw something when Nagisa appeared on the stairs, when they talked about their old friends and the pool. Just this afternoon when talking to Gou-chan and her friend, when the topic of pool came up, there was this little light inside those blue eyes.

Maybe that was a way to reach Haruka.

Here was the three of them, on a train to Samezuka with the rest of the late night travellers going home after a long day of work. It was an hour train ride and it was soothing to feel the rumble of the tracks and train against his body. Nagisa already fallen for the motion, his head rested against his shoulder as he fallen asleep between him and Haruka.

“So, excited to see your old friends again?” asked Kaede.

He hated silence. Silence was a bad thing and bad things happen in the silence. If there wasn’t some kind of noise around him, Kaede would go mad so he created it on his own.

Haruka didn’t respond, once more to his questions. Kaede knew he annoyed his classmate, but he still hadn’t told him to screw off or something. Maybe because Nagisa seemed to had taken a liking to him? Who knows what goes through the other boy’s mind. No one should be alone in their thoughts forever.

“I bet it is something strange though. You move away, thinking you will never return to your old hometown than only a few years later you’re back,” said Kaede as he started to talk again.

“But to move before you start middle school, that must have been tough. To move from such a close town like Iwatobi to Tokyo, you must had notice the difference in the town life and city life. There is the pace, the people, the whole energy they give off is quite different.”

“And middle school! There is some problems. Middle school is almost the starting point for your whole educations path. You start to focus on which high school you have to study for and then university can’t be that far behind. Of course, there are those students that rather learn with their hands and go into the trades.”

“Me, I barely can use a hammer without bashing my thumb. I got to use my head to get ahead in the world. Ama-chan says I have quite a future if I can keep up my marks in English and Literature. I think she merely said that cause I’m the only one that understand her quotes. I’m trying track club to add some balance to my applications, but I don’t think anyone in the club likes me.”

“They all say I talk too much and just go on and on about nothing at all. It isn’t my fault really that I can just talk this blue streak. It’s this nervous habit I got. If no one is talking, there is this silence; I have to fill it somehow. If there is music, I would pump it up but people I think would get upset if I do that. Not sure if it causes of my taste in music or because I have it so loud.”

“Anyway, you think your friends would be upset with me tagging along. I know Nagisa-kun said they wouldn’t, but you never can tell with people with strangers being taken into a tight circle. I bet you guys were tight friends from the sounds of it. Did you guys write letters back and forth or-”

“Be quiet.”

Kaede turned to see Haruka’s eyes were on him. They were dull, like he came to know them but there was hidden layer of anger. Kaede wonder if he stumbled on something he shouldn’t have in his rambling. He merely nodded as settle back into his seat as he turned his focus on the train and it movements along the tracks until they came to their stop.

* * *

It took them a bit longer to walk up to Samezuka, but in the end they arrived but it was dark out and no one was around. They found the pool in no time and it was a tad of shocking how easily they were able to get inside the private school’s prize indoor pool. Or it was more shocking how easy it was for Nagisa to get them inside.

But they did and the trio moved through the hallways and into the pool area. It was something to see for sure. It was a first star faculty, the pool was large, larger than anything Nagisa and Kaede had seen. Haruka though saw bigger ones, but his eyes still lit up at the mere sight of it.

“So, when are your friends coming?” asked Kaede.

“Don’t know, but-”

The conversation halted with the loud splash, Kaede turned around with pure shock and surprise across his face as Nagisa merely laugh. Haruka had stripped himself of his clothes to reveal the black jammers underneath with purple stripes before he dived into the pool. To be in the water once more overcame his body as he move through it. It was a comforting feeling as Haruka’s mind and heart were a storm of emotions over the last few days.

“What the hell!? Do you always wear a swimsuit, Haruka-san?!” shouted Kaede.

“Haru-chan has the right idea,” laugh Nagisa as if someone wearing their swimsuit 24/7 was completely normal. Kaede didn’t think so as he looked a bit of drain while the blonde took a more wishful look, “He still swims like a dolphin.”

By that comment, Kaede turned to the water and watch as Haruka stroke through the water. He had seen people swimming before, who hadn’t watch the Olympics? But he never had seen Haruka swim before and...It was different. He wasn’t sure how to describe it, how the water move around his body, push out of the way with ease as he swam through like a fish or like how Nagisa said, a dolphin. It was as if Haruka was born in the water and Kaede never thought such a more beautiful image that he couldn’t come up with the words for.

“He has a good idea.”

Drawn back into reality Kaede saw Nagisa had removed his own shirt and jacket.

“You brought your swimsuit too?” he asked. What was with these two?

“Nope!” he said with a laugh, “But there is nothing wrong with a little skinny dipping while we wait!”

There went the pants as Nagisa dove into the water like a newborn babe. The twitch in Kaede’s eye became clear as the two boys splash around in the water. What had he gotten himself into?

“You guys, we are going to get in trouble and I don’t think even your friends can help if we get busted by security if we cause too much noise to get caught,” hissed Kaede, “Do you know what they would do to us in jail? I rather not be someone buddy or end up like in Deadman Wonderland, thank you!“

“Kae-chan, you’ll be fine,” laugh Nagisa, splash around, “Come over for a sec.”

“I am not com-” said Kaede as he made his first mistake and that was to walk anywhere near the pool because once his foot was grabbed and found himself pulled into the pool. There was nothing more than to go with the force as his whole body dunk into the water, the weight of his clothes, his school uniform, shoes were soak now.

“Nagisa-kun….” hissed Kaede as the younger schoolmate merely laugh. The weight of his clothes caused discomfort so off went the shirt, vest and tie, “Come here…”

Nagisa merely laugh as the two started to splash each other back and forth. Haruka merely floated along as he listened to the only source of noise in the pool area. His eyes reflected to the ceiling above as he tried to think of what was the point in coming here. They didn’t even know if Makoto or Rin were going to show up. They could be caught beforehand and then where would they be?

If they did show up, what could he say? What should he say? Sorry for being a failure of a friend? He was, but was it too late for say it? Would either of them take it or just take it as some kind of insult. Things were different, they aren't children anymore. Things like failure to communicate can’t be as easily forgiven.

The door to the pool area sounded along with the sound of footsteps. Nagisa and Kaede paused their game to stare up at the single form enter into the pool area. Haruka turned his head to see it was only Rin, in his school uniform, walked up with a frown across his face.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“We came to visit,” said Nagisa, laughing, “Where is Ma-”

“You guys are going to get in trouble, get out of here,” he said with a sneer.

“Rin-chan…”

That through off the blonde as Rin never acted like that with him before. Sure, he was in a strange mood last night, but he wouldn’t and shouldn’t act like some kind of jerk. Kaede only felt a bit of confusion as he only the stories from Nagisa about this Rin character and he didn’t fit the image he created in his own storybook mind.

It was a bit startling when Haruka popped up in front of them from the water. He stood there, none of them spoke before he utter a word, “Free…”

It was only Rin that shown up and that spoke a lot of Haruka. No doubt that Makoto didn’t want to see him again, most likely didn’t want to see him unless he had too. The hole in his heart started to fill with ice once more. The feeling wasn’t welcome, but it was how he protected him from such hurt. But deep down, he wanted to be whole again, to feel happy.

When Nagisa appeared,  there was a warm feeling in his body. There was the hope when he saw Rin and Makoto back at the old swim club. What had healed, broke away tonight. But that feeling, to have it back, he wanted it. Haruka wanted to feel better, part of something.

“Haru-chan,” whisper Nagisa as they watch Haruka pulled his wet, dripping form from the pool and stood in front of Rin.

“I want to see that sight again...I’ve forgotten what it looked like,” said Haruka.

Rin clearly surprise by the question, but the look of confidence overcame the surprise as he merely grin, “Sure, but it won’t be the same this time. It has become much different since then.”

Tension surround the two swimmers as if they were warriors about to head into battle as this another chapter of their lives began.

* * *

“Idiots! Do you even feel bad for what you have done?”

Nagisa and Kaede hung their head down as the principal continued to lecture them. Haruka only stood there with an emotionless look. It was as if he didn’t care and had other things to do,

“Sorry…”

“First you two go into an abandon building, than you drag in your classmate along and break into another school,” he sighed, “You’re all lucky they didn’t press charges on you.”

“Now, I think that is enough,” said Amakata, who was nearby and spoke up in support of her students.

Though, her quotes once again, didn’t really give them much aid. They were thankful she tried to help them out and they were able to walk away with their heads thought their tails were between their legs.

“I had thought we were going to be suspended or worst,” sighed Kaede, thankful to any of the higher power for the fact they weren’t.

“You are so negative, Kae-chan,” said Nagisa, “Ami-chan help us, though I wonder what that fish saying was.”

Kaede just laugh, “Ami-chan thinks we are going to hang ourselves soon enough,” he said before he looked back, “What do you think about that Haruka-san...Haruka-san!”

He had thought that his classmate was right behind him, but he seem to have disappeared once more. It was a bit of a habit that he needed to get use if he was going to continue to hang around them.

“Oh Gou-chan!”

Distracted with the lack of their third member, both Nagisa and Kaede took notice of Gou, walking towards them. But at the mentioning of her name, she frown, “Its Kou.”

“But your name is Gou,” said Nagisa.

Kaede had a bad feeling…

“To me! I’m Kou!”

“Gou.”

“Kou!”

“Gou.”

“Kou!”

“Gou.”

“Kou!”

“Kou?”

“Gou!”

It was as if he just watch one of those american cartoons as Nagisa laugh in victory while Gou looked like she was going to ripped his head from his shoulders. She did let it go with a huff, “So did you see my brother last night.”

“Yes,” pouted Nagisa, “Just Rin-chan, no Mako-chan. Plus he was so mean. He only wanted to race Haru-chan. We barely got to talk about anything at all.”

“True, they only had their race before security found us,” explain Kaede. If they had more time, he could image Rin would want to explain why he was the only one to show and who they heck he was. They didn’t really have an introduction, “Did you call him, Kou-chan?”

She shook her head, “No, I sent them both texts and emails but only Makoto-chan reply. He acted like he didn’t know anything.”

“What happen? Mako-chan and Rin-chan were so nice and not like this? Why?” asked Nagisa.

“Just happen sometimes,” said Kaede, a somber look, “I guess this story won’t get its happy ending.”

Both Kaede and Kou merely sigh as Nagisa looked in between them both before he shook his head, “No, I won’t allow this.”

He took a hold of Kaede’s shirt collar and pulled the boy down to his level, eye to eye “We are going to start the swim club up again. We can see them at tournaments try and talk. Me, you and Haru-chan together!”

Kou smiled and clapped while Kaede looked confuse.

“Say what?”


	5. Invitational to Join!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Makoto goes home for supper, Nagisa stalks a new swim club member, Rin wants some attention while Samezuka and Iwatobi have a joint practice and Rei overhears something he shouldn't have.

 

 

__________________________

_**Rip Tide! ~ Chapter 04** _

**Invitational to Join!**

_________________________

 

When Rin said they should apply to Samezuka Academy, Makoto didn’t know how his parents like it. Before he even talked to them about it, he looked up the school. It was impressive to say the least. The photos on the websites and the brochure showed students swimming, studying, and having social lives. It talked about the Olympic level swimming program which was one of the best in the country, how its teachers were top notch, all sorts of other clubs and interests for the students to fulfill. It was an all-boy boarding school so they had dorms on campus for students from all the country were able to attend; even those that lived closer were more than welcome to a dorm. It was long trip, an hour train ride back and forth. It would be do able, but even Makoto had to wonder how he could do something like that.

“We’ll just get a dorm, visit on weekends,” Rin had said, “Maybe we could get to be roommates, wouldn’t that be awesome?”

It would be and Makoto liked the idea how excited Rin was for Samezuka. It would be a no brainer that he would get in. Whenever Rin wanted something, he went out in full force. But the price of tuition and the distance, Makoto didn’t know as he wanted to be a burden to his parents.

But there was no shame to take the exam after all. There was no sure way he would even get into the school. He could study and take both exams after all. Rin was at least please with that and the two of them had spent half of their second year and the third year of middle school study for it. It was a lot of work, Makoto almost was sick on the day of the exam for Samezuka Academy but he got through it.

When he gotten acceptance letter from not only Iwatobi High School, but from Samezuka Academy, he felt panic finally came in.

He didn’t think he would get in. Makoto only wanted to help Rin and encourage him to get into the school. The very possibility that he could have gotten into such an elite school was beyond his own understanding. But now, he had a choice to make. Rin made his choice clear when he gotten his own letter. Makoto lied and said he hadn’t gotten anything yet but he was such a bad liar and Rin could tell right away.

“Just tell me when you do,” he said a frown of disappointment on his face.

There was a hit of shame in Makoto’s stomach. He knew Rin was upset in him; he wanted them both to continue swimming together. It was sweet and he felt great to still be wanted. But Makoto hadn’t even talked about going to Samezuka with his parents.

He didn’t know what would happen, but when Makoto did finally tell them they both burst out smiles and praise by the bucket full. Their son gotten into such an elite school after all so of course they would be proud. They only wish that he told him even applied. The worry and guilt melted away as his mother hugged him and offered to make his favorite for supper. They had to celebrate his success. When the issue of money came up, his father told him not to worry. It was their job to worry about him, not the other way around. Makoto’s only job was to enjoy his childhood and work on his own school work for now.

Once the idea settled itself in his heart, Makoto joined in the excitement with Rin in the idea of going to Samezuka Academy. They stared at the pictures on their website and in the broachers for weeks. There was even a night before their last day of middle school that Rin couldn’t help himself and almost broke into the school to get to the pool. Makoto had to stop him before he could.

When it came to moving to Samezuka’s dorm, only one thing his parents made him promise when they dropped his bags off, that Makoto try and make it back home for Sunday’s dinner.

And he did, for the first year and into his second year; he took the train from Samezuka back home for a close family dinner with his parents and the twins. Sometimes Rin even tagged along for dinner when he felt like it or he went to his own home. Though, he mostly used the weekend for extra pool time.

These dinners were fun, Makoto enjoyed the few hours he could spend with his family as he caught up in what was going on at home and they could catch up with his own news.

But this time, he sat quiet as he poked at his meal and wish he was back in his dorm.

“I can’t believe it, my boy is vice-captain of the swim team,” said Mrs. Tachibana as she brought the last dinner dish as the family sat down.

“It isn’t a big deal,” said Makoto as the bowls were pass around and added more to his plate. Not that he was hungry anyway, but his mother had made all of this for him and it would be rude if he didn’t.

“You are so modest,” Mrs. Tachibana said, “Wait until I tell your grandparents; they are going to be so proud of you. It is only too bad that Rin-chan couldn’t join us to help celebrate the news.”

“He got behind on some school work and wanted to catch up on it.”

That was a lie. They all knew that Rin wanted to get some extra time in the pool. They all gotten used to it so Mrs. Tachibana only smiled, “That’s fine. I will have to pack him up some of the leftovers. That boy needs to eat.”

“I’ll be sure he will get it.”

“Hey! That’s mine!”

Drawn out to the shouts of his siblings in front, Makoto stared at the twins. One of the negative things about having to stay at the dorms was the fact he didn’t see Ren and Ran anymore. He loved his siblings and wanted to look out for them. It was hard though now that he spent most of the year away at Samezuka and only saw them once a week. But he made that day count as he would spend the day with them before dinner at home. Rin would come along those days and the twins loved him, thought him as part of the family with them being Ran, Ren and Rin.

Hmmm, do they remember Haruka?

“Why did you take my ham?” cried Ren.

Ran merely huff, “You never eat everything anyway.”

“But I eat my ham!”

“That is enough,” said Makoto with a huff as Ren looked like he was about to burst into tears from his twin’s teasing, “You two shouldn’t be fighting over something like ham. It is so childish. You should grow up.”

The twins turned to him with a look of shame as they turned back to their own meal. Makoto bit his lip as he shouldn’t have yelled at them like that. He shouldn’t take his frustration out on them. He picked up a large piece of his own and placed it onto Ren’s plate, which brought a smile on to the younger sibling but a frown to the other.

“I want some too, Oniichan!”

Makoto merely smiled as he handed over even more of his meat to please his other sibling. The smiles on their faces were enough as they continue to dig into supper.

“Is something wrong?”

Startled out of his thoughts, Makoto turned to see that his father spoke to him. The older Tachibana had notice that while the twins ate their own dinner, Makoto barely even touch his own. He sigh and continue to poke his rice, “It’s nothing, I guess I’m not hungry,” he said.

“That isn’t it,” said Mr. Tachibana. He worried about his eldest son, about all the unneeded pressure he puts on to his shoulders, “Is everything all right at school? Have you been settling into things? Even with the new responsibilities”

Makoto bit his lip as he stared down at his meal before he looked up at his father and his mother, “Did you know the Nanase family moved back?”

He didn’t bother to look up as neither of his parents’ spoke at his question. When they were younger, their parents would know each other, chatted with one another about play dates, sleepovers and other such childhood events. Mostly his parents as while Makoto did spend some time over at Haruka’s place; it was mostly through his grandmother. His parents weren’t around so offend to help with the plans.

“I notice that there were some moving vans near their old place,” Mr. Tachibana said, “I only thought they sold their place. They must have gotten tired of the busy city life.”

“You mean they didn’t sell it?” asked Makoto, a bit surprise.

“No, they didn’t,” Mrs. Tachibana, “Kotone-obaasan had made them keep it and they decided to make it a sort of summer home…though they only came back once.”

That…That was news. Makoto didn’t know the family came back for a visit. No one told him.

“I didn’t know that, when did they come?” asked Makoto, finally took a bite of his supper.

“About Christmas time their first year away, thought it was just Kotone-obaasan. You were in school when she dropped by with Haru-chan.”

Makoto dropped his chopsticks on to his plate in shock at his mother’s words, “H-H-Haru? He came back?”

“Yes, didn’t we tell you?”

“No!” said Makoto, ashamed a second later for raising his voice, but the mere shock that he didn’t know about this visit at all. Why didn’t his parents tell him? “Why didn’t you?”

“I can’t recall, it been so long,” said Mrs. Tachibana, “But why did you bring up the Nanases? Did Haru-chan transfer to Samezuka?”

“No…” said Makoto, this sick feeling in his stomach, “Gou-chan texted us early this week and told us she saw Haru at Iwatobi with Nagisa.”

“Oh! You must be so happy,” said Mrs. Tachibana, “I suppose we should call them up and see how Kotone is-“

Happy? He didn’t know as he smiled and nodded his head as his parents chatted away about the news. The conversation of the night disappeared as he didn’t pay attention anymore. His mind travelled to the past once more as he tried to remember anything in that winter. He didn’t remember at all if his parents mention Haruka or his grandmother at all. If his parents mention it at all, Makoto swore he would have remembered it. But nothing at all.

Why was he being left out of things? He had to wonder if there was something larger going on as Gou’s texts confused him from the other day. She wanted to know how it went the other, night when Haruka and Nagisa tried to visit him and Rin. He responded and said he had no clue what she was talking about. He had thought she would have responded back with some kind of explanation.

Nothing at all.

“How was dinner with the folks?”

Makoto didn’t get back to the dorm until late that night. Rin was already in the dorm, in his night shirt and shorts with a book in hand as he lay on Makoto’s bed. It was a common sight that welcomed Makoto when he came into the dorm room late from the Sunday dinner.

“Same as normal,” he said, held out the plate to Rin, “Ren and Ran missed you and Okaasan made you a plate.”

“Sweet,” said Rin, a smile on his face as he reach up and grabbed the leftovers with a shark feeding frenzy.

Makoto sat down at the desk while Rin sat back down on the lower bed with the plate in hand before he spoke again, “Rin, did Gou-chan text you the other day?”

“Hmm, about what?”

“About Haru and Nagisa coming to see us,” said Makoto.

“No, not to me,” said Rin casually and quickly.

Too quickly for Makoto’s liking.

“You aren’t lying to me, are you?”

“Why in hell would I lie to you about some stupid message from Gou?” asked Rin in between mouthfuls.

“I don’t know,” said Makoto as it was true. Why in hell would Rin lie to him about Gou’s texts? She was asking about some meeting that never happen. Maybe she was asking about how things went at the old swim club? That would make sense and he could believe that. Agur, his head and heart hurt. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know Haru’s number and didn’t know if he still wanted to text him, if Haru wanted him to text or not.

Though, he thought for sure Nagisa would had texted him by now.

Agur, he shouldn’t be worry about this. It had because he been worried about this that he hadn’t been getting enough sleep for the past week. No, he was going to forget about and get some much needed rest. Haruka would be there in the morning.

“Don’t get crumbs on my bed.”

“I won’t and if I do I will lick them up.”

“RinRin! I don’t want your drool on my bed.”

“Don’t call me that! If you do, I’m going to put this whole plate on your bed.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“…Yeah, your mom’s food is good.”

“Heh, see.”

“But I could sleep here tonight.”

“That’s my bed!”

* * *

Nagisa grinned like a mad man as he dragged the others along to the field. The pressure was on and they had to find a fourth member for the swim team. Someone was needed to swim with them if they ever were going to swim in the relay again. It wouldn’t be the same as when he swam it with Haru-chan, Rin-chan and Mako-chan, but he just wanted too.

“I found us a fourth swimmer,” he declared with glee.

The three sets of eyes stared at the blonde before they looked out at the school yard for some kind of answer to the solution.

“Someone from the track team? Do you just like poaching them members?” asked Kaede, a chuckle played. He had been a member of the team, or at least someone trying to be for the first couples days into the school year, before Nagisa pulled him into the idea of the swim club. He didn’t have many fans on the track team and enjoy Haruka and Nagisa’s company much more so the choice between either track or swim was simple.

“Bah, you don’t count,” said Nagisa, “Him! Over there!”

The three of them turned to the area used for the pole vaulting and Nagisa seem to be pointing towards a male stretching out his arms. The only reason he stood out was the fact he had blue hair and the only member of the team that wore some kind of eye protection. Kaede’s eyes widen a bit as he recognized who.

“Ryugazaki-san? Him?”

“Yup, he’s the most prefect member to join,” said Nagisa.

“Didn’t we already ask him, in fact everyone in school already?” pointed Gou, “I don’t think he will change his mind even since he is on the track team.”

“It’s destiny,” said Nagisa a determine look on his face, “He’s like us! He’s met to join the swim club whether he likes it or not.”

“Heh, and how did you come to this idea?” asked Kaede, who thought the underclassman looked like someone a tad crazy.

“He is too a boy with a girly name, Ryugazaki Rei,” said Nagisa.

Kaede and Gou didn’t look convince and Haruka was barley paying any attention. He knew the importance of finding a fourth swimmer. If they were able to win some sort of award, than they would get more money for their club budget and then they could buy membership to an indoor gym with a pool.

That was one of the few things to continue onwards with the swim club idea.

“…You can’t be serious?” asked Keade.

“Yeah? Why not?”

“Well, shouldn’t there be more thought into picking someone out than their name.”

“I did with you.”

“…I’m deeply move.”

“I would agreed with Kaede-senpai but..” said Gou as she started to gain this daydream look on her face, “Look at those deltoids~”

“Kou-chan, that isn’t a good enough reason either,” whine Kaede.

“Come on, Kae-chan,” said Nagisa, “You just have to go with your gut on this. I got a good feeling about Rei-chan.”

He knew it was a long shot, but Nagisa had this feeling that Rei would join them. His smile even became larger as they watch Rei preformed his vault. How he swung himself over, it was as if he was about to dive right into the pool itself. No doubt if they got him into the pool, he would be wonderful.

* * *

The next few weeks drifted on as the school year started to gain speed. Classes started to add on the work load and the swim team started to get back into the old routine. Makoto found things started to pile on with his normal work load and that of his new duties of being the vice-captain. He helped Sejiuro (who push Makoto to call him that since they were going to be working close together this year) with practice schedule, drills, going to get some more supplies. During the practices, he helped out some of the first years in finding their strokes or place on the team, timing others and working on his own stroke as well.

It was busy and he hadn’t really given Haruka a second thought since that Sunday dinner until he spotted Gou towards the end of practice one day. She never been to there after school before and he had to wonder why she was here in the first place.

She was there with her school uniform on, standing there in the viewing room on the lower level where family, friends and scouts for universities and the national team could watch the practices. She had this daydream look on as she watch all the members of the swim team walk on by or were in the pool. A smile grace his face as he knew she was a fan of muscles and see a normally serious young lady with such an expression was priceless.

“Kou-chan! What are you doing here?” he asked, remembering to call her by her prefer name.

The daydream look disappeared as she turned to him, “Makoto-kun, hello,” she said with a smile.

“You here to see your brother?”

“Actually, no, I was hoping to see your captain,” she said with a large smile.

That confused him, “Sejiuro?” he asked, “I didn’t know you two knew each other.”

“No, we don’t,” she said, “I just wish to ask about a joint practice for some time soon.”

Joint practice?

“I thought Iwatobi didn’t have a swim club anymore?” asked Makoto. He knew that from looking into schools and the fact that they didn’t compete against any team from Iwatobi last year. But still, the idea that Iwatobi had a swim club again, he felt this sharp pain in his stomach.

“We do now,” said Gou, “We starting one up. We just finish fixing up the pool, but it’s still too cold to swim. I was just wondering if we could team up and share.”

“I don’t see why not. Seijuuro normally good with allowing other schools that don’t have the same faculties as us,” said Makoto.

“That would be great!”

It didn’t take long to find Seijuuro, who was talking to a couple of his fellow third years. Explaining that Rin’s sister wanted to talk about some kind of joint practice, he left his captain to it while he hunted down Rin.

The older Matsuoka sibling was easy to find as he was working on his front crawl again. Nitori Aiichiro was with him, a stop watch in hand. Makoto merely shook his head as he walked over and stood behind the smaller grey hair boy, “You don’t need to be timing him, Aiichiro?”

It was sort of cute how Aiichiro almost jumped off the ground from being startle. Makoto didn’t mean too, but still he chuckle.

“It’s ok, Senpai,” he said, a matching grin, “I’m happy that I can help out the team like this.”

“You would help us out if you actually got into the pool,” said Makoto, still smiled on his face, “You are your own worst critic.”

“But Senpai-“

Makoto didn’t really give Aiichiro a chance to refuse him as he grabbed the stop watch and push the youngster to some of the other first year swimmers. The boy needed to learn how to deal and to do that, it would be best to hang around his fellow classmates and stop comparing himself to the older swim team members. He had done that, got nowhere. It was thanks to Rin that he didn’t any more.

“Think I am going to replace you?”

Rin finished up his lap and noticed that Makoto chase off Aiichiro, so he merely waited until the underclassman left before he spoke up.

“Never, you just were looking for someone to be your minion.”

“Please, why would I need a minion when I have you?”

“You wound me,” said Makoto with that kind smile that said he didn’t take any of those comments to heart. He reached out and pulled out Rin from the pool before he spoke again,”Gou-chan was here.”

“Really? She never came here before,” said Rin as they walked along side of the pool, “Just let me get a towel and I’ll be with her in a sec.”

“Actually, she wanted to speak with Seijuuro.”

Rin’s eyes almost popped out of his head at that before he grabbed Makoto’s arm, “Mikoshiba? She wanted to see him?! Why on earth would she want to see him!?”

“Rin, calm down,” said Makoto, trying to ease him down, “She wanted to schedule a joint practice.”

“Joint practice?”

“Yeah, Iwatobi is starting up their swim club again.”

There was shook on his face, Makoto saw it. Maybe the same thought came through his mind as well. The only way the swim club was form was because of Haruka and Nagisa, the only two new additions to Iwatobi that would be at all interested in swimming. Rin looked like he wanted to say something, licked his lips before he open his mouth, “You think…”

“Yeah, I figure they would be on it. Though, I don’t know how many other people would be in the club. Three members don’t make a club.”

“Four might…”

“Huh?”

That confused Makoto but didn’t really have a chance to question Rin on it as the redhead’s eyes widen than narrow down into his pissed off face. Makoto turned to the direction and saw that Seijuuro had found Gou and he could even clearly see the expression of awe on their captain’s face as he held Gou’s hand into his own. It was an expression he had seen on Gou’s face and only knew one thing.

“Mikoshiba! Get your hands off my sister!”

“Rin! Stop!”

“Oniichan!”

“I’ll kill you!!”

* * *

The only reason he even agreed to being a trial member was so Nagisa-san would stop bothering him. It seemed wherever he turned the past few days, Nagisa-san was there with some sort of pool object, or talking about swimming and those key chains. Once this joint practice was over, he would say he wasn’t interested in joining and go back to track team.

That was the plan and Ryugazaki Rei didn’t see a point in diverting away from it.

He did have to admit that the faculties at Samezuka Academy were impressive. The rest of the swim club seem to agree as they gasp at the sight of the indoor pool once they had their swimsuits on. He had on his school track uniform on like Gou-san since he wouldn’t be doing any swimming at all.

 “Mako-chan!”

Rei turned away from looking at the pool to see Nagisa-san jump on to one of the Samezuka’s boys with such familiar in his energetic way. It seem that the boy was never off as Rei had found out the hard way as he continued to stalk him through the school and even on the train ride to and from school. How he thought that they could be friendly with each other? It was quite disrespectful even with calling him ‘Rei-chan’ and it seems that this kind of attitude was transferred even to those of other schools. He was making a fool out of himself and giving their school a bad name.

But…no one seemed to react to the behaviour. In fact, the Samezuka swimmer only laugh as he allow Nagisa-san to hug him, rubbed his hair as he continue to walk over to the group, “Nice to see you again too, Nagisa.”

“Come and meet everyone,” said Nagisa-san as he dragged the tall Samezukite over to the Iwatobites.

Rei notice how the smile on the olive-color hair boy faltered a moment as he laid eyes on them. He glanced around and saw the line of sight ended up on Haruka-senpai. He looked between them and wondered how they knew each other. Perhaps it was some time school rivalry? No, that wouldn’t make sense as the swim club wasn’t around last year and Nagisa-san had explained during his introductions that Haruka-senpai came back from being in Tokyo for the past few years.

“Hi Haru, nice to see you again,” he said.

“….You too,” said Haruka-senpai, in a tone of voice that Rei swore was lower than normal.

The kind smile reappeared as Makoto turned his attention to himself and Kaede-senpai, “I don’t think we have been introduce,” he said and held out a hand, “I’m Tachibana Makoto, the vice captain here. Seijuuro will be here in a moment. He got caught up with some school work.”

“Great to meet you,” said Kaede-senpai as he took Makoto-san’s hand to shake, “I’m Hisakawa Kaede, captain of Iwatobi’s Swim team.”

“Where is Rin-chan?” asked Nagisa-san, moved to stand front and centered, most pushing Kaede-senpai to the side.

“Ah…he’s sick,” said Makoto-san, a sigh escape his lips, “So, he most likely won’t show up. Told him to stay in bed.”

“Always looking out for others,” said Nagisa-san with a laugh, “You hadn’t change, Mako-chan.”

“Heh…”

There was a feeling that Rei didn’t think that was true. He was proud that he could make out the smallest detail in things. Just the tiniest crack could make something ugly so he tried to pick them out. This whole meeting, was not beautiful. There was tension between Makoto-san and Haruka-senpai and was he the only one who could see it?

It was about than when the captain for Samezuka showed up with an equality large smile on his face as his vice-captain as he walked up to them, “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Why not get things started? I figure we could work along with our first years today…” he explained before his eye fell onto Rei, “Why don’t you change into your swimsuit.”

“I-“

“He forgot his,” said Nagisa cut in, “Sorry about that.”

“Huh? Why is…Nevermind,” said Seijuuro-buchou with a wave of his hand, “Hey, Makoto, could you help him?”

“Sure,” said Makoto-san with a smile as he place a hand on Rei’s shoulder and started to lead him away, “Come on, I can find one of our spare suit.”

There was no sense to protest as Rei was pulled into the changing room. He should just come out and tell the older student the truth. To tell him that he didn’t know how to swim and that is why he didn’t bring a swim suit or wanted to swim at all.  But who didn’t know how to swim at their age? It was an embarrassment and it would just be better if he fake it. After all, how hard could it be? He did some studying on the sport beforehand and he only needed to copy the forms of the others. It would be simple enough.

“If you don’t mind me saying, it is kind of strange for you to come without a swim suit.”

Drawn out of his calculations, Rei turned his attention to Makoto-san, “Huh?” he questioned before he quickly went into recovery mode as he adjusted his glasses, “Just a simple mistake. I left my suit in my other bag.”

“That does makes sense,” said Makoto-san.

That should have dropped the matter, really, it should have as Rei waited for a used swim suit. He watch as Makoto-san picked around. There was clearly some, but he hadn’t grabbed one to give to Rei to wear.

“Now…did Nagisa convince you to come here?”

“Huh?”

Makoto-san smiled as he held some sort of suit in hand, “I know Nagisa can be quite forceful when he wants to be. He’s a friendly guy, puts his energy into whatever he wants to do to. I also know he can a tiny bit forceful without meaning too.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Rei as he took to adjusting his glasses as his nervous habit popped up.

“The fact that no one tried to find you a swim suit beforehand when they were all changing,” said Makoto-san, “I understand.”

Now Rei was confused as the older student continued to talk, “I know that no one should be force into something they don’t want to do. It will mostly cause bad feelings all around.”

“But…sometimes in those rare moments, it is a good thing. If you are force to something, you can learn something new and try them. It helps you grow as a person even if what is familiar is comfortable. As well, sometimes those comfortable things in your life go away so you have to embraces those new things.”

“Makoto-san…I don’t understand…” asked Rei. There was some meaning, something deep and hidden. There was this emotion in those words that cause him to be all the more aware of what was going around him.

“Do you want to swim today? If you don’t, that is fine.”

“But your captain said-“

“I can tell them none of them are clean and we can’t have someone wear some dirty ones, can I? I just want to know for sure if you want to swim today. It’s your choice to swim or not. But just to let you know, sometimes doing something new can open up to some wonderful things and give your life new meaning.”

* * *

It was a bad habit, but Rin often pushed himself too hard. Between swimming and school, he would burn out and get sick. It always made him miserable as he hated being sick. Being sick met he would suffer through snuffed up noses, sore throats, not being able to sleep and worst of all, he couldn’t swim for a few days to make sure he wouldn’t infect anyone else with his sickness or make himself worst.

Sure, he actually did try but Makoto was always here, hovered and force him back to bed.

In middle school, he would come over to his house, bring him his homework, shared what happen and maybe bring him a treat to make him feel better. Makoto would even skip out on swim club if it was in session if Rin was sick.

“It wouldn’t be the same if you weren’t there, Rin,”

Those kinds of things continue into high school, maybe more often since Rin had more access to the pool than in middle school. He would be banished into his dorm, but Makoto would be right there. He was even more of a mother hen. He would come during free periods to make sure he was ok, bring soup and homework. Again, the same in middle school, he would skip out on practice to be with him, keep him company.

Makoto was a creature of habit and Rin knew how to exploit it. When the news of the joint practice, he knew what would happen. Haru would be there and just being in the same presence of Makoto would cause his best friend to be upset. He might not be able to cancel it, but he could make sure Makoto wouldn’t be there to see him.

So, he faked it. It wasn’t hard as he moaned of stomach pains, fake being sick, did the stupid things little kids did to get out of school. If he was sick, Makoto wouldn’t go to practice and would stay with him.

“There is no way you are going to practice today,” said Makoto as Rin laid there.

Rin nodded, trying to hold back the smile, as he let out another moan, “Talk about bad timing, huh?”

“You always do,” said Makoto with a laugh, “I got to go or I will be late. I’ll stop by after practice with some soup. You get some sleep.”

What…

“You aren’t going to stay?” Rin asked, almost let the act fall way as he may have sat up too quickly.

Makoto didn’t notice as he picked up his swim bag, “Yeah, I’m vice-captain now so I’m responsible for the team. Beside, Seijuuro texted me that he going to be late cause he’s working on a group project.”

“But-“

“Come on RinRin, you’re a big boy and don’t need me to be a mothering you every time you get sick,” said Makoto, teasing with the old nickname, “Beside, you complained about it often enough. You’ll be fine without me for a few hours.”

The taller boy left without another word said as Rin was left with his jaw dropped open. Of all the fucking time for Makoto to not hover him, it was the one time he wanted him too! He grabbed his pillow and screamed into it.

_Fuck…Fuck!...FUCK!!!_

It was all Haru’s fault. If the jerk just only decided to stay in Tokyo, he wouldn’t be missing out on practice right now. There was no way he could show his face, couldn’t just be miraculous cure right than to join Makoto, to be by _his_ best friend's side. That would only raise so many red flags and it would only be bad for him.

Ok, so maybe it was his fault. If he should have counter in the fact Makoto was now vice-captain and he would take that responsible seriously and how was he supposed to know Mikoshiba was going to be late. Fuck!

Now, he was stuck inside the dorm with nothing to do. No homework needed to be done, he didn’t need to call home to chat with his mother about how he was doing. Maybe reading…but there was nothing he hadn’t already read before. There was nothing more for him to do beside wait for Makoto to get back and he couldn’t get his mind on what could happen.

Maybe Haru and Makoto wouldn’t even talk to one another? Makoto had to run the team so who was to say Mikoshiba wouldn’t have shown up by the time the Iwatobi Swim Club had shown up and took to the introductions. Yeah, that was possible.

Wait…wouldn’t Gou show up too?

Mikoshiba near Gou…..

It had been an hour before he grabbed his jacket and flew to the pool. Who was he kidding? It was going to be a disaster.

* * *

It was his fault in the end.

Makoto-san had given him an out, a prefect beautiful excuse for why he couldn’t swim. How the older boy knew, Rei didn’t know, but somehow he knew. But his pride wouldn’t let him take the easy way out, it almost said if he took the excuse that he couldn’t swim. But he rather take the hidden shame than the full out embarrassment as he wanted to hide under the towel.

“So…you can’t swim Rei-chan?” asked Nagisa-san.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” asked Kaede-senpai.

“And admit that I can’t! Who had heard of such a thing! Someone my age being unable to swim!” shouted Rei. He didn’t mean to shout, to scream and show his temper. It was the whole situation and the fact he was embarrassed by it all.  It would go against everything he stood for.

“It is ok, Rei-san,” said Makoto-san as he stood on the edge of the Iwatobi group, “You sit there and recover. We are only glad you are ok.”

He didn’t really pay much attention to Kaede-senpai’s pleas of thanks for Makoto-san’s kindness and help. The Samezuka vice-captain was one of the first to dive into the pool to help him along with Nagisa-san who already was there after finishing his lap. It was so foolish of him; Rei only could blame himself for being so prideful. He wanted to go home now and forget this even happen.

“Oooo, Haru-chan going to swim now!”

Looking up from his towel, Rei was curious about how Haruka-senpai swam. Nagisa-san talked about how he swam, everyone seemed to be interested in how Haruka-senpai did. He never saw the attraction in swimming and didn’t see if there was anything difference.

But it was difference. His eyes lighten up as he took in the form, the grace and the smoothness of Haruka-senpai. There were so many words he couldn’t even find as he stood up as he watched the teen just glide through the water.

It’s beautiful.

He couldn’t get that image out of his mind as the practice was over and everyone was getting back into their normal clothes. Nagisa-san and Keade-senpai kept saying how sorry they were for what happen. The remorse was on their face and they were both serene in their words. They didn’t mean for things to happen as they did and Rei was thankful they weren’t angry at him for not telling them in the first place.

It was strange to have people worry about him in such a matter. It wasn’t like they were close or knew each other. He knew Kaede-senpai from the few days he was with the track team and Nagisa-san from his stalking, but that was it. There should be no feeling of familiarity from any members of the swim team. But there was he was touch.

The warm feeling of seeing Haruka-senpai swim like that, to the friendly feeling of the others around, it…it warmed him in such beautiful matter.

He was the last one left to leave the Samezuka’s changing room before heading home. Nagisa-san said he would wait for him outside the building. Maybe a way to give the boy some much needed space? Either way, Rei was thankful for the quiet as he left the changing room with his track bag in hand.

“I’m not a child!”

Rei paused in step as he picked up Makoto-san’s voice around the corner. He moved forward and could still pick up voices.

“I’m looking out for you!”

“You broke into my locker and mess with my messages!”

“Oh, so I am not allowed to go into your locker now?”

“Not if you are going to do something like this!”

He should walk away, this sounded private. But the issue was the only way out of the building was down that hallway. Rei felt his breath held as he shouldn’t be hearing this, tried to not give it any attention. But he was and was so curious at who Makoto-san was arguing with. He lowered himself down the wall and peer his way around the corner.

They were both dress in the Samezuka’s sport uniform, he had seen those jackets on other members of the swim team in the pool area, black with those jagged tooth design trailing down the arms against a white background and red along side. Makoto-san’s back was to him so Rei had a clear view of who he was shouting at. Numbers started to run through his head.

_“117cm in height, weight about 68 kg with maroon hair.”_

The boy talking to Makoto growled as he sneered, “I was protecting you!”

 _“And shark teeth!”_ thought Rei as he added the fact. He better not be caught being a snoop or he feared what the redhead could do with those teeth.

“From Haru! Nagisa! You had been lying to me!”

“From getting hurt again! I do!”

“You’re so selfish, Rin!”

That name, Rei remembered Nagisa-san had mentioned on the location of someone he called Rin-chan. This must had been the same one. It was the only logical solution after all.

“I’m not! You were the one that acted like some kind of wounded puppy when Haru showed up.”

So he was right! There was something between Haruka-senpai and Makoto-san.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

Rei froze in fear as a voice from behind. Thousands of thoughts ran through his mind and all of them ending with him in some sort of torture or cast. He jumped up right on his feet, straight as he took to struggling with his glasses before he turned around. It was one of the first years from the practice. He was about Nagisa-san’ s height with grey hair and these teal eyes that stared right at him.

“Hahaha! Just picking up my glasses,” explain Rei a bit loudly than his liking, “Fell off my face from being in the pool I suppose. All good!”

The younger boy didn’t seem to be quite convinced as Rei force a laugh out. He had to get out of here before he made a bigger fool out of himself. With a quick turn on his heels, Rei was about to make a run for it when he almost crash into Makoto-san and the newly discovered Rin-chan-san.

“Aiichiro? Ryugazaki-kun? What are you two still doing here?” asked Makoto-san.

“I was heading back to my dorm when I spotted one of the Iwatobi swimmers and thought he needed help, Tachibana-senpai,” spoke the younger Samezuka boy.

“Just dropped my glasses, nothing to worry about,” said Rei, waved his hand around as he merely started to back away from the trio, “I have to go, Nagisa-kun is waiting for me!”

With that, Rei turned tail and flew down the hallway as he left three very confused swimmers and himself with the fact he realize what he called Nagisa-san.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for everyone that has been staying with me. I do hope you are all enjoying it all. Just a heads up that I am almost done with the recapping everything over here and the next chapter will FINALLY have some new stuff. I am sure you have all been waiting for that ^^
> 
> So, until next time <3


	6. Tumble About In Anger!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto never felt anger before, not this much. For some reason, only it seems that Rin and Haruka can bring these feelings out of him. How he deals with it and with these two boys, it is a different matter. One has been by his side for years and the other could have dropped off the face of the Earth.

__________________________

** _Rip Tide! ~ Chapter 05_ __**

**_Tumble About In Anger!_**  
_________________________

  
  
Never had he remember feeling like this before.  
  
He had been angry before, who hadn’t been? But this time, Makoto felt a rage he never thought he could feel, even more so since it was all towards Rin, at his friend, maybe even his best friend if he could claim another to be. But never had he remember a time he actually wanted to hit another being in anger.  
  
Their fight was held off when Nitori and Ryugazaki, an Iwatobi swimmer showed up in the hallway as they started to get into it. They didn’t say anything as once the younger boys were gone and they made way to the dorm room. Though, Makoto wanted to be anywhere but here. The feelings were fresh and he kept playing the whole conversation in his mind from the start when Nagisa had told him the truth.  
  
 _The joint practice was coming to an end and Makoto was glad for it. The whole thing made him tense and he didn’t like it. His attention was all over the place as he tried to focus on the first years, making sure the Iwatobi swimmers were ok like that first year who almost drown and…Haruka…  
  
They hadn’t talked yet, not a conversation and Makoto wanted too. He felt that they needed to clear the air and start their things over. He did, he was pretty sure that Haru wanted too. It was hard to tell as Haruka hadn’t really looked at him or even attempted to talk to him at all. Maybe the gifted swimmer didn’t want to be friends with him anymore? Maybe this whole trying to reconnect was a pipe dream?  
  
“Mako-chan!”  
  
Well, at least someone was happy to see him.  
  
Makoto smiled as Nagisa came running up to him as others on his team started to head the changing room. He watched from the corner of his eye as Ryugazaki headed inside first while Haruka lagged around the pool. He was always the last one to get out once he was in and Makoto was pleases to see that not everything had changed. But his heart beaten faster as he watched the Iwatobi captain go over to Haruka once he got out of the pool.  
  
  
He’s jealous, plain and simple.  
  
Makoto had once picture that they would have been together forever, best friends until they died. He had imaged them going into middle school and high school together. Right now though, he could just stand there and watch the two boys walk off. The captain was happily chatting about something as Haruka either didn’t pay attention or actually listen to the words. For some reason, Makoto felt that Haru was only giving the swimming captain half of his attention but he wish Haruka would just walk away and come over to him.  
  
Was it wrong that he wanted to change places?  
  
“Are you listening?”  
  
“Huh? You said something?” asked Makoto as he didn’t even realize Nagisa was still talking to him.  
  
“I was asking if you ever got my text?” he asked, flashing a smile.  
  
“Text…what text?”  
  
“Haru-chan and me wanted to see you and Rin-chan so we took the train up here weeks ago. I sent a bunch of texts, but you never show or answered. Only Rin-chan shown up.”  
  
Makoto blinked as his eyes never left the smaller blonde, “No…I never got a text.”  
  
“Awww, did I write your number wrong than…” he said, showing the number.  
  
“No, that is right…maybe it was a bad connection,” said Makoto, but he had this feeling that wasn’t the case. It was so many little bits, like those messages from Gou, Rin’s attitude.  
  
“Too bad,” said Nagisa, “But at least we can see each other more once we start swimming in competitions and I got your phone number, so we could all hang, right?”_  
  
He wanted too but it appeared that he had lost the chance to do that the first time. But wasn’t through no fault of his own.  
  
“Of all the stupid things you have done! This tops them!” Makoto yelled once the door was shut.  
  
Rin never had seen Makoto this upset before. He seen all sorts of other faces, scared out of his mind whenever they watch a horror movie, truly scared at the river all those years ago, saw him cry over serious and silly things, he was happy most of the time with that caring smile permanently pasted on his face. There was also Makoto’s disappointed face, when Rin did something stupid like forget some homework assignment or over work into sickness. But rage, pure anger, Rin never saw it on Makoto.  
  
“It isn’t that bad,” said Rin, maybe he could talk Makoto down. The guy couldn’t stay like this for long.  
  
“No bad...” hissed Makoto, his normally bright green eyes narrow down and seemed to have darken, “You decided that I couldn’t see Haru and Nagisa! Why would you do that?!”

“Look, I just didn’t want Haru to hurt you again.”  
  
“Seriously? I’m not some little kid anymore that needs to be protected,” said Makoto “Beside, he’s my friend, why would he want to hurt me?”  
  
“God! You think he is! He barely talked to you since he got back!”  
  
“And whose fault is that!”  
  
“What about at the old swim club! He barely said two words to you the entire time!”  
  
“Yeah, cause you go and challenge him to some race in a pool! That didn’t have water!”  
  
“After that! You tried, but he didn’t say anything!”  
  
That caused Makoto to stumble from that before he recovered, “You know how Haru is like, he doesn’t really-“  
  
“Talk? Share his feelings? Get close to anyone?” said Rin, getting more of a standing on this fight as he sat up on the bunk, “He hasn’t changed since we were kids!”  
  
“That isn’t true! I’m sure he did!”  
  
“The first moment you knew Haru was back, you hadn’t been the same,” said Rin, “You barely slept at all, and more focus on that jackass who hardly even thought to give you a second look.”  
  
“Not true,” said Makoto, ”He was paying attention to all of us. It’s just the person he is.”  
  
  
“An emotionless freak you mean!”  
  
  
“Don’t call him that!”  
  
  
“He was always strange when we were kids, and I would have thought he would grow out of it. Hell wrong on that one. It you aren’t colorless, and contain two hydrogen and one oxygen, he won’t care about you.”  
  
  
“Stop it!”  
  
  
Rin should stop, he saw the mixture of pain on Makoto’s face but he was on a roll and this needed to be said, “You been mourning over him like some dead girlfriend. You put your life on hold and if I didn’t slap some sense on to you, who knows what would have happen to your ass. Would you have continued like that? Grieving the fact you didn’t have Haruka around in your life. People grow up, they change and move on with their lives.”  
  
  
“Now, he is suddenly back and you are going straight into those bad habits again. I saw the looks you gave him when he swam, those stupid puppy dogs eyes you have! You mope, you want to call him, want to see him just the once more. What has he done to deserve that kind of respect from you?!”  
  
  
“Shut up!!! Just shut up!”  
  
“You care more about him than me! Your best friend!”  
  
  
“What the hell is going on here?!”  
  
  
The boys turned around to see Seijuuro in their doorway. Behind him along were other boys that’s dorms were around Rin and Makoto’s. While the captain normally was all smiles and a joyful fellow, he did know the difference between being a friend and being a captain. This is one of those times when his vice-captain and one of his best swimmers were fighting so loud that not only their neighbors could hear them but almost everyone within ten feet of the dorm. He was called in to stop it before it became violent.  
  
  
The two roommates both stared at their captain, Makoto looked like he was about to burst into tears while Rin looked like he was going to rip into someone into two. Never in the time had he known the second years, had they had a fight like this. They would argue like any friend, but to go on this level…  
  
  
It was disturbing.  
  
  
“It’s nothing,” said Makoto, turned his head away from facing his captain.  
  
  
“Like hell it is,” hissed Seijuuro, walked into the room and glared at the two underclassmen, “Tell me why half the hallway can hear you two screaming at each other like some kind of lover spat!”  
  
  
That comparison had Makoto forget about his anger and rage as embarrassment overcame. His face turned bright red while Rin continue to fume in his anger. It wasn’t as if they wanted everyone to hear their argument. Both of them were all into their own issues and failed to notice the world around them.  
  
  
“Its nothing, so just bug off, Mikoshiba,” sneered Rin.  
  
  
“When you two-”  
  
  
“None of your bus-”  
  
  
The two redheads started to get into an argument now. Words were thrown, threats given. The crowd outside the dorm was getting large from what Makoto could tell as he stood there; watch their issues were becoming more exposed to everyone around them. He never had been a problem student, kept his nose down and was a nice enough guy. If this fighting kept up, even if he was arguing with Rin still, teachers would be called in if there was any sign of getting physical.  
  
  
It did when Rin was about to throw a punch at the captain if Makoto didn’t tackle him to the ground first.

* * *

 

They had spent a number of days at it, but Rei wasn’t getting it.  
  
  
First he claimed to study all the techniques, the theory behind swimming when he partakes in his first practice. But he did nothing more than stink to the bottom of the pool. Both Nagisa and Kaede tried to help him. Neither Nagisa’s experience and Kaede’s patience and both of their encouragement did nothing to help as each attempt ended with Rei meeting with the bottom of the pool.  
  
Haruka merely floated and swam in the pool, watched as they tried. He didn’t see the point as the water hadn’t really accepted Rei or didn’t like him. It wasn’t his issue as he had his own problems to deal with. Being in the water helped clear his head, to swim once more open his mind to so many thoughts he had been going over and over again.  
  
  
He should call Makoto.  
  
  
Makoto moved on with his life.  
  
  
He didn’t need him anymore.  
  
  
He still needed him.  
  
  
And there was Rin. He remembered the winter he came back and they race. The race was pointless, but the words exchange held more meaning. He hadn’t seen Rin that upset, that anger at him before. All because he failed to speak or contact Makoto. Back then, he thought it was for the best. Makoto kept writing him letters, talking about his life, his family, and Rin.  
  
  
Sitting in his room in Tokyo, reading those letters, Haru felt like he was missing it all. Life was going on with Makoto, with Rin, and even Nagisa he was sure. They were moving on without him. Their lives were coming together and they were happy without him. He...he was nothing but miserable.  
  
  
He didn’t have friends, he was left alone most of the time. His first year of middle school was the worst time in his life. If he didn’t have swimming, the teasing, the bullying would have been ten times worst. Never had the bullies in Iwatobi bother him before. He never gave them a reaction or egged them on. But Tokyo was different. They were on him for the whole year, these third year students. It was only after they graduated than he was left alone.  
  
  
And he was left alone. Because of their bullying and his own social skills, Haruka never made friends in his grade or anyone he could have talk casual with. No one wanted to face the same taunting he had been force to deal with so they all left him alone.  
  
  
Getting into contact with Makoto, with everyone, it would have made him happy, give him a moment of light.

He just didn’t want to darken theirs with his own. Makoto would had worried, would had wanted to do something. Haruka back then didn’t think there would be anything he could do. After all, there was no chance they would see each other again anyway. It was best to keep his distance and not make any connections. It would only hurt him in the end.  
  
  
When he saw Rin that winter, it wasn’t planned, it just happened.  
  
  
And winning…seeing the tears...than the rage…  
  
  
 _Haruka stood there with his swim cap and goggles in hand. Rin was on the ground of the pool. Tears were being held back as he tried to be strong. It seem like it would be any moment he could be bursting into some sobs._  
  
  
“Haru-chan! They look all the same!”  
  
  
His eyes turned away from the changing booth mirror to the four set of eyes in front of him. Rei had decided that he didn’t have the right equipment to swim. It seem senseless and a waste of time to Haruka, but who was he to pass up a catch to pick up a new swim suit. He needed some new ones anyway.  
  
  
The material of this pair felt nice.  
  
  
“Now, Nagisa-kun,” said Kaede with a nervous chuckle, “Just let Haruka-san pick out what he wants and you can pick out what you want.”  
  
  
The blonde pouted before he turned to Rei, and dragged their new member away to look at some other swimsuits. Strange as he thought Nagisa would have put up more of a protest. But he seemed to find it more fun to annoying Rei than bothering him. Gou was already up and walking away into the hallway out of the main area of the store for some reason or another. Not his problem.  
  
  
“Is there anything you need help with, Haruka-san?” asked Kaede.  
  
  
Why was he still here? Haru stared at the brunette as he continued to smile, his dark chocolate eyes wide shiny with an undeserving acceptance and happiness. An image of an old similar face appeared but he was quick to push it out of his mind. He had nothing more to Haru than try to be a good friend. Why? Haru still didn’t know and didn’t see fit to ask about it. If he wanted to waste all his time and effort, he wasn’t going to push the issue.  
  
  
“Is that all, Haruka-san?”  
  
  
Haruka shrugged his shoulders as he looked over to a few more suits in the changing room. All of them look similar to the untrained eye. He knew better and still wanted to see how they would feel.  
  
  
“Hahaha, ok I get it,” said Kaede as he jabbed his thumb towards the two younger classmen, “I’ll just make sure Nagisa-kun doesn’t kill Rei-kun.”  
  
  
Why did Kaede think he understood him? Haru snorted as he turned back to the changing room to change out of the swimsuit he had on for another one. He couldn’t help but think of the difference between the two brunettes that were now in his life. While Makoto was quiet and kind, Kaede was loud and pushy. Both were easy going, but Kaede was more willing to jump into things than Makoto ever was. Nagisa and he got along well, both of them plotted ways to get new members and both of them almost had Miho-san put their heads on pikes.  
  
  
But he was comparing him to the Makoto of his childhood.  
  
  
He wanted that Makoto back. He wanted to see that warm friendly smile when he got up to go to school. He wanted to see his hands held out to him to help him get out of the pool. He wanted to be able to protect Makoto from all his fears and try to reassure him that nothing is going to happen.  
  
  
He wanted to feel whole again, but didn’t know what to do about. After all, while Haruka was broken, Makoto wasn’t. He had a new life and there was no way he wanted to ruin that.  
  
Makoto hadn’t tried to contact him, but neither had he. He could get Gou to give him Makoto’s cellphone or Nagisa even. Would he want to talk to him? It ate at his stomach, this uncertainty in his emotions. Haru hated this feeling and wanted it gone. He didn’t want to feel this pain in his heart, his stomach. But there was only one thing he could do to make it all better.  
  
  
It was the one thing he was scared to do the most.  
  
  
But now wasn’t the time for self-reflection. He pulled up the swimsuit to look at the mirror in front of the changing booths. With a pull of the curtain, he almost failed to noticed someone next to him emerge from the changing booth next to him. He almost didn’t notice until…  
  
  
“Haru…”

* * *

  
  
“Rei-chan! Try this one on!”  
  
  
He struggle to smile as Nagisa took to launching himself at Rei once more, with another speedo in hand. Why the blonde kept on pushing that, in fact everything on to their newest member? Since Rei officially joined the team, it had been a common sight to see the two of them together. Maybe Nagisa really took seriously taking responsibility of him since it was because of him that Rei even was thought of as a potential member of the club.  
  
  
But, it still brought a smile to Kaede’s face to watch the interaction. Nagisa would hold on tight, hug Rei and play with his glasses. Rei would protest, chase the other first year around the store as he demanded his glasses back. It was a warm feeling to be part of something now, to be included in the story and not some kind of first draft character but only to be tossed aside and redone as someone else. It was great to have friends, for the first time since he moved to Iwatobi last year.  
  
  
“Nagisa-kun! You’re going to hurt your eyes!!”  
  
  
“I wonder if I look as beautiful as Rei-chan with them.”

But sometimes it felt like he was playing the role of zoo keeper. Nagisa was sweet and friendly, but he could be too much energy to keep up with at times. Haruka while quiet and didn’t seem to be social, he had this habit Kaede discovered of stripping at the sight of water. Rei was a good kid, someone that never gave up and was quite bright. But his whole issue with beauty and seem to over act on some of small things.  
  
But when someone is playing with your glasses, he could understand the panic.  
  
“Nagisa-kun,” he spoke, cutting off the blonde as he almost ran into him, “Give those back to Rei-kun right now.”  
  
“Awwww, I wasn’t going to keep them,” said Nagisa, trying to put on his best cute face so he wouldn’t bare the lecture from Kaede. It was surprising how he could move between the two difference personalities. One moment, Nagisa was a sweet little angel, the next moment he was this demon side.

One that seems to know waaaaay more about….certain things than a kid his age should know about.  
  
“We don’t have a lot of time, we need to catch the train back,” said Kaede as he took the glasses and gave them back to Rei, “We still need to get swimsuits and other things for the swim club that Kou-chan want to get.”  
  
“We know, we know,” said Nagisa with a roll of his eyes before he grabbed a hold of Rei’s hand, “Let’s go and check out those goggles you want.”  
  
All Rei could do was protest once more as Nagisa dragged him down the alley. With a shake of his head, Kaede turned to focus on the line of swimsuits, running his hand across them. He should hurry up and make sure that they don’t cause any more trouble, but he….  
  
What was he doing?  
  
Kaede turned his attention to the swimsuits on the rack. It been forever since he had bought a new one. He had to borrow his step-dad’s suit for the last few practices, nothing wrong with a speedo as Rei clearly thought there was. But he should get his own swimsuit again.  
  
He never took swimmings was seriously as it seem others had. They swam together in elementary school, Haruka and Nagisa’s friends went to this school that was all about swimming, so the four boys had to be good at the sport. No doubt they were far more superior than he was.  
  
And he…he just was along for the ride…  
  
A smile glided across his face as Kaede ran in hand along the swimsuits. He didn’t mind it. He enjoyed being part of something, to have friends that didn’t see fit to ignore him and his chatter or comments. At least, he thought so. Haruka was strange, he didn’t talk to anyone at all and kept everyone at a distance. Nagisa said he was always like that so to not take it personal. But how could he not? He didn’t want to cause Haruka to get upset and finally show that side of his personality to him. Everyone else has done on in the past.  
  
He was loud, he talked too much…  
  
But, in his heart, he knew that it would be different. He shouldn’t worry causes these boys did care.  
  
He should have paid more attention to his surroundings. Kaede had reached over to take a look at a suit on the rack when his head hit someone’s own.  
  
“Hey! Why don’t you watch where you’re going!”  
  
Rubbing the sore spot, Kaede looked up at who he had bumped into. His eyes widen as a smile appeared though his head throbbed.  
  
“Matsuoka –san, sorry about that.”  
  
The redhead looked at him with confusion, “How did-“  
  
“We met a few weeks ago…at the pool.”  
  
The questionable look was there, though he appeared to be trying to think back to when, a time to place his face.  
  
“I’m classmates with Haruka-san and Nagisa-kun….”  
  
That didn’t seem to make him happy as while as one look was replace with another as Kaede felt heat from the glare of the Samezuka boy came on to him, “Is he here?”  
  
“Ah who?”  
  
“Rin-chan!”  
  
The answer to either question was not given as Nagisa decided to make another appearance. The blonde left Rei’s sides only to ambush hug Rin in his arms. Kaede had to give him points as he didn’t lose his balance from the hug attack. The anger once on his face disappeared as he pulled away from the hug, smile instead. It seemed to fit the other boy and didn’t seem to make him as rough and fearful with it on.  
  
“What are you doing here?” asked Rin.  
  
“We are getting Rei-chan a swimsuit so he doesn’t sink.”  
  
“Nagisa-kun!”  
  
“You are the guy that everyone was talking about after the joint practice,” said Rin as he looked up from his old team mate towards freshman as he stood up to his full height. Nagisa had finally let go but continue to stand by his side, smiles all around as he just loved his old childhood friend meaning a couple of his new ones.  
  
“Eh…” said all Rei could speak out. A surprise for him as he had such a large vocabulary was for once at a loss for words. Kaede looked between the two, and felt something. There was a hint of recognize, something he didn’t get from Rin beforehand.  
  
Strange, when could have these two met?  
  
“Is Mako-chan with you? I want to see him,” demand Nagisa.  
  
“He at the changing room,” said Rin, a shrug of the shoulder as he pointed to the changing rooms down the aisle, “We all came here to pick up supplies, new suits, same as your team I guess.”  
  
“Oh good! Haru-chan there too!”  
  
“What?” asked Rin in shock,” Haru here too?”  
  
“Yeah, why wouldn’t he be? Gou-chan is too if you wan-“  
  
Nagisa didn’t finish that sentence as Rin dash down the rest of the aisle to get to the changing room. Once he started to move, Nagisa was on him, Rei and Kaede weren’t far behind as they all joined up together. Rin stood there in front of the changing room with a look of panic on his face.  
  
There wasn’t anyone inside of the, the cloth door drew back and the only things left in them were several different types of swimsuits.  
  
“Awww, where are they?” asked Nagisa, a question they all asked themselves, for different reasons.

 

* * *

 

It seemed forever since it was the two of them. Makoto lead Haruka out of the sports store to a back area. It was fence in and no one else was around. It was a perfect place to have a talk, a much needed one he felt that they both needed. Haruka hadn’t said anything, hadn’t even looked at him. He kept his eyes on the ground as if it was more interesting than him.

“So…how have you been doing?” Makoto said, the silence finally getting sick of the silence.

Haruka merely shrug his shoulders as he looked past the fence and not at Makoto. The giant teen sighed as he walked up and stood next to Haru, continuing talking.

“You guys started a swim club? I bet that been fun. I know how much you love being in the pool…or I mean, you did before you moved…” said Makoto, rubbing the back of his head.

Again, Haru didn’t say anything. It was getting ridiculous and Makoto felt the other boy was ignoring him now. Why wasn’t he saying anything, why was he kept his silence like this? Didn’t he think that they should talk? They hadn’t yet and weren’t they best friends…or just at least friends. Makoto was starting to think things weren’t as simple as he had hope. Rin’s words from their argument kept flashing back to him.

_“You care more about him than me! Your best friend!”_

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Why? What is there to say?”

That was it, that was the first thing Haru had to say to him. Makoto turned around, trying to face the other boy but Haru wouldn’t look at him, keeping his head turn in the other direction. It was frustrating and Makoto had to wonder if he was always like this. He didn’t remember Haruka being like this when they were kids, right?

“I don’t know, maybe tell me what you have been up to in Tokyo? Ask me how I am doing? How Rin is doing? How the weather is,” said Makoto, trying to get some kind of reaction even though he was fighting back his own negative feelings at this point, “What hell happened the night you and Nagisa broke into the pool?”

That got a reaction as Haru finally turned around and Makoto was glad to have gotten some kind of reaction. Though, it was hard to tell if there was any sign of emotion on the blank face of the teen. Once upon a time, he could have figure out what emotions where there, but Makoto saw nothing. Was Haru trying to test him? To see if he could still figure him out.

“Didn’t Rin tell you?”

“No, I didn’t know about it until Nagisa mention it last week,” said Makoto, “Rin didn’t tell me about, he deleted the message about you two coming from my cellphone.”

“Why would he?”

“He thought that it would be best if I didn’t run into you again, that you were only going to hurt me again.”

“….”

“I didn’t believe him as we are friends,” said Makoto, “Aren’t we?”

There was no respond, no comment right away that he was right, that they were friends. There were no words said as the two boys stood there and it broke Makoto’s heart. Why wasn’t Haru saying anything? Why didn’t he say that Rin was being stupid, that there was no way he would hurt him.

Right?

“So…how’s Kotone-obaasan? She doing ok with the move?”

“….She died…”

He felt his eyes widen at this news, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that Haru,” said Makoto, each word he met as he knew how close the other boy was to his grandmother and how he remember how she would bake them treats and take them to the beach when it was warm out to swim in the ocean. She never pushed him to go swimming, let him sit on the beach and they would watch Haruka swim in the waves.

“It’s fine.”

“No, it isn’t fine,” said Makoto, placed a hand on Haruka’s shoulder, “She was your obaasan and she was more of a parent than your-“

“Stop it,” said Haruka, their eyes meeting and Makoto could feel a cold chill as he looked deep into those deep blue eyes, “It doesn’t matter as she can’t come back.”

But Haru-“

“Stop it, I don’t want to talk about it.”

The rise in his voice and Makoto found that he couldn’t use his own. Never had he heard Haru raise his voice at all like that. But was his surprise, can’t say he he wasn’t. They were close so her death must have affected him in some way. He wished that he knew that he could have helped him when it happened.

“Ok…but if you want to talk about it, you can with me.”

“Why do you care?”

Those words hurt.

“Because we are friends, and I care about you,” said Makoto.

“Then why hadn’t you called me? Why do I have too?”

That was a good question and he didn’t quite have the right kind of answer, “You…You never really answer my letters so I just figure I would let you make the first move if you wanted to.”

Haru let out a sigh, “You hadn’t change,” he mumbled.

“I could say the same about you,” snapped Makoto, a bit tired of this run around. Why did Haru have to be this difficult? “You could have gotten my number from Nagisa or Kaasan. We hadn’t changed since you left.”

He merely shrug his shoulder, “Too much effort.”

In one universe, Tachibana Makoto would have never been without Haru, they would have grew up side by side. They would have an understanding and that little sentence from Haruka would have rolled off of Makoto’s shoulder. He would have let it go as it was who he was, wanted to please everyone and try to make everyone happy.

That was not this universe.

To say he was surprise when his shoulders were grabbed and his back was slammed into the fence, Haru wouldn’t denied it. But to say that it was Makoto of all people that did it, he would. Here they are, Haruka was trapped against the fence by the larger teen, both arms trapping him there.

“What the hell are you trying to pull? Don’t you care?” demanded Makoto.

The ground seemed to be interesting now.

“Why won’t you look at me!?”

His eyes travelled upwards and blue met with harsh green. No, Makoto would never look this upset, not at him. He was smiles, cheerful laughs, kind words and nothing more than support for his friends. This face had nothing of those familiar traits. The eyebrows narrow down over his eyes which were hard, full of not warmth and glee, but irritation. Haru could see something had happen as around his right eye, light green and appeared to be bruise. Makoto grounded his teeth as an attempt to hold back his temper, which was almost about to burst.

His breath hitch as Haru didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t escape with both Makoto’s arms trapping him against the fence, his grip tight against the metal. Haruka had been in this kind of situation before, in middle school and a few times during his first year of high school but to have Makoto in place of those that use to torment, abuse him.

“I tried Haru, I tried to be your friend,” said Makoto, never taking his eyes off of him, “I tried being respectful, letting you have your space, tried to make things like they were when we were little. But it’s like you don’t even care. I can’t read your mind for what you want!”

No, he couldn’t.

Makoto sighed and let his arms dropped back to his side, running his fingers through his hair, “This isn’t working…” he mumbled.

His body was still against the fence, didn’t move since Makoto removed his arms. Breathing was hard as he wanted nothing more to find the nearest body of water to dive in. He couldn’t be saying that-

“I’ll see you around Haru,” said Makoto, started to walk back towards inside with a wave of the hand, “Hope to see you at the Prefectural, if your team signs up.”

“Ma-“

“Makoto!”

His voice was cover with the appearance of a blur of people piling out of the door. Rin in front as he moved to join Makoto’s side, clearly worry about something. The rest of the Iwatobi was there, Nagisa happily chatting to the group about the odds of them all here, Rei merely trying to keep his blonde classmate from shouting while Kaede seem to act as a peacekeeper, talking to everyone. Gou came from behind with bags in hand, complaining how they still needed things to pick up and why no one was helping her.

Haruka only watch Makoto, who laughed and chatted a bit. What words were said, he didn’t hear or chosen not to. He merely stood there, walking over to join the group. Wasn’t keeping his distance supposed to make sure he wasn’t hurt in the end?

Why did his chest still hurt?

“Did you two have a nice chat?” asked Nagisa, “We should have lunch together if there is enough time, I’m starving.”

“Love too, but its getting late and we need to get back to school,” said Makoto, “It was great seeing you again, Nagisa.”

“Awww, better luck next time.”

* * *

 

Ever since they left Sport ZERO, Rin found Makoto wasn’t his self. Sure, he smiled and laughed with everyone as they regroup to get everyone on the bus before he took the train home for dinner, but Rin could tell something was up. He wanted to ask, to rip the truth of what Haru said to him or if it was something else.  

He avoided the questions before he left to go home for dinner and Rin was half tempted to join him but he didn’t have permission to go off campus and would get into trouble he went awol. So, he waited, barely doing his homework, fail to read and mostly stared at the ceiling in thought.

What had those two talked about? It ate away not knowing what had happen and if there could be something that maybe he could help with. Damn it, Makoto still did stupid things like this. Keeping things bottle up and thinking he didn’t want to lay his issues on anyone else, thinking he was doing them a favor. What the hell? This is the kind of stuff friends do? What about the amount of times Rin dumped on him over the years? He wanted help Makoto but he wouldn’t let him help.

Turning over, Rin focus more on the pictures he posted along the wall on his side of the bunk. It grew a bit over the years, a few pictures of him, Gou and Mama, match with the amount of him and Makoto at swim meets, school events and some with Ren and Ran. Hs eyes drifted along to a new addition, a picture of Pops and his team when they first won the relay and next to it was his own team. Happy smiles and it should bring up warm memories.

All he could do was glare at the tilted head of Haru in the picture. Years, and being away from the familiar surroundings of Iwatobi and the only thing that changed about him was he became more of a dick.

And became a better swimmer…

_Once changed into his swimsuit, Rin and Haruka took their positions on the starting block. This time was different, he was going to win and show him how far they were apart._

_“Haruka-san, this isn’t a good idea,” plead a strange kid that came along for the field trip. Seem a bit of a weakling with how his eyes kept darting around as if waiting for someone to pop up._

_“Calm down Kae-chan,” said Nagisa, not scared to show how he was thrill about the race. He always did like when they swam, “Nothing going to happen and this is going to be awesome.”_

_“Nagisa, countdown for us,” said Rin, snapping the strap of his goggles._

_“Right!” the blonde said with glee, “Ready! Set! Go!”_

_At the mark, both teenagers dove right into water. Rin started to strike at it with fury, passion and his thirst for blood. Slicing through the water, he kept his eyes forward as he gulp the air, had to stay focus on the goal of the other end and reach it._

_The wall was coming up but it wasn’t coming fast enough for him for the turn. His eyes looked up through the water and froze mid stroke as Haru reach the wall first. Flawless, Haru flipped around and started to head back before Rin could even touch. He watched Haru pass him by but the blue eye swimmer didn’t seem to notice he was there. Rage flow through and he started to hit the water, kicked all the wall as he tried to catch up. It seem like he was gaining on Haru but it was too late as Haru touch the wall mere seconds before he did._

_“Haru-chan! That was amazing! Rin-chan, you attack-”_

_“Such movement! Both with grace and-“_

_The two teenagers on the edge yammer away as Haru looked like he didn’t seem to care one bit that he won, again! Rin, ripped his goggles off his head and grabbed a hold of Haru’s, pulling him face to face. Sneering and breathing heavily from the race and from his own temper, his mind and mouth tried to work together to come up with something to say._

_“You…You don’t deserve-“_

_“Hey! What are you kids doing here?”_

The guard coming in then, tossed the three Iwatobi students out while he got a stern talking by not only the headmaster, but from Mikoshiba. How the hell he agreed not to tell Makoto, it was a miracle. So, Makoto was clueless of the whole thing for weeks until Nagisa saw fit to open his mouth and share. Now, everything was out in the open and he was left sitting here and waiting.

Damn, he hates this.

The door open and Rin almost fell out of his bunk from the shock of the noise. Looking up, he watched as Makoto dragged himself in, putting bags on his desk and taking off his jacket.

“Have fun with the folks?”

Makoto nodded, tossing his jacket aside before picking up the bag, “Leftovers,” he said, “You should get a pass next weekend. Ren and Ran been asking to see you.”

“Will remember,” said Rin, taking the bag and digging out the plate, “Ma been at me to visit too.”

“You need to get out and have some fun,” said Makoto, laughing before he flopped on the bed, “Isn’t that what you are always on me about? Stop stressing on little things and worrying about people?”

“You mean, you  actually listen, not humor me?” laugh Rin, dropping his head over the bunk to look at the boy under him. His smile dropped when he saw that Makoto. There was no smile, just a long look on his face as if he was thinking of something.

“Makoto, what’s wrong.”

“…Do you remember what you said to me?”

“I say a lot of things, what things?”

Pushing back against his bed, he sat up and now he was face to face with Rin. He felt his face heat up a bit with how close they were. He could see how his eyes seem to brighten up, how the black eye he gotten from stopping him from punching Mikoshiba, and that smile how it form and brighten up the room and make anyone that saw it all the more better.

“You know you’re my best friend, right?”

“What?” gasped Rin, almost unsure if he heard that right.

“You heard me,” said Makoto, laughing, acting like his old self.

Rin felt as if his heart was going to burst from his chest with pride. Never had he said that. Said they were friends, that they were great friends, but best friends? That title had been own by Haru for years but now, it was finally his!

“Ah! You’re a softie!”

“You’re the romantic, not me.”

“Come here!”

“Ah! Rin! No!”

Both boys laughing as Rin trapped Makoto in a headlock and tried to give the taller boy a noggin almost falling off the top bunk. This was how it was supposed to be.

_“Take that, Nanase!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this, I finally caught up with what I had posted over at the Kink Meme and added some nice bonus stuff as well. So coming up in the next chapter, it will be brand new! So enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> I have been filling this out on the Free! Kink Meme slowly over time. Been working on it but found it was finally time for me to bring it over here. A few people wanted a easy way to keep track of the story and I have to agree. So I am slowly going to post what I have written up here than I will be updating here and over on the kink meme. 
> 
> Here is the prompt http://iwatobiswimclub.dreamwidth.org/1476.html?thread=998596#cmt998596
> 
> I will be changing some bits of the story I already posted up, making things flow a bit better and how I would like the story to go now. 
> 
> Tell me what you guys like it and such. ^^


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